The Black Prince & His Forbidden Love
by Armaddon96
Summary: [AU/No Geass] Lelouch meets a new student, Shirley Fenette, in his class. Over time, they grow closer but Charles zi Britannia manages to find Lelouch and orders him to return to the homeland. As Lelouch struggles with the situation and his growing affection for Shirley, an old enemy resurfaces, threatening him and his beloved. Lelouch x Shirley. Rated T for some violence/gore.
1. First Day at Ashford

Author's Note:

Hello readers,

This story takes place in an alternative universe where there is **_no Geass_** _._ The implications of this are huge, and I will further elaborate on it as the story continues. There are some references to the Code Geass storyline, though.

This story mostly centers on my favourite pairing in Code Geass, Lelouch Lamperouge and Shirley Fenette. This story will mostly be told through the perspective of these two characters, although it might be told in a supporting character's perspective from time to time. I know quite a number of Lelouch x Shirley fans say that they would definitely be together if Lelouch didn't get the geass, but I can assure you this story isn't going to be smooth sailing for them just because there is no geass. If you dislike the pairing, I strongly advise you to turn back right now.

Honestly, this is my **_first_** attempt in writing a fanfic. I also confess that I have close to zero exposure to literary works of romance (I'm more of a sci-fi/action/fantasy fan). However, I really wanted to write this is because I'm a huge Shirley fan and there's a lack of Lelouch x Shirley fanfics. Constructive criticism and reviews are most welcome.

The story will start off rather slow before speeding up, so please bear with the ponderous start. Things will start going full speed ahead in chapter four. The story will be mainly romance/drama with bits of humor and action. The story will also be relatively light-hearted in the earlier chapters compared to the later ones, so do expect a change of atmosphere once we get past the first ten chapters or so.

Disclaimer: In no way I have any ownership over Code Geass and its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**  
 **First Day at Ashford**

Sixteen-year-old Shirley Fenette sighed, tucking a strand of her waist-long orange hair behind her ear as she peered curiously from her family's car windows as it sped along the streets of Area 11, a country formerly known as Japan. Everything looked so foreign to her, and she longed for the more familiar streets of her hometown, Pendragon, the capital of the Holy Britannian Empire.

Her exhale did not escape the notice of her father, a brown-haired man near middle age, Joseph Fenette. Joseph glanced back at his adolescent daughter while driving. "Now, dear, I know you miss Pendragon and all of your friends back at the homeland, but I'm sure you can adapt to Area 11 soon enough," he tried for a reassuring smile at his daughter.

"It's okay, dad," Shirley gave her father a warm and sunny smile, knowing that he was trying to assure her. Her father's old company has closed down and he was unemployed for nearly a month before he managed to find a new job as a geologist. The problem was that it required him to move to Area 11, and his daughter and wife decided to move along with him, not wanting to be separated. Although they bought a new place in the Tokyo settlement, Shirley would be staying in the dormitory of her new school, Ashford Academy. Even now, she could tell that her father was still feeling a little guilty for uprooting the family. "I'll just make new friends again, I'm good at that", she added, trying to ease her father's feelings.

Within minutes, they have arrived at the front gate of Ashford Academy. "It's beautiful." Shirley murmured, awestruck at the size and extravagance of the school. Without further ado, she gathered her belongings, exited the car and faced the entrance of the academy. She slowly took a few steps forward, taking in the sights of the school before a voice called out.

"Shirley," her mother, Mary Fenette, called out to her only child. "Have a good first day of school. Do keep in touch with us, alright?" she asked softly.

"No worries, mum, I'll write a letter to you guys every week," Shirley assured her mother, who smiled, remembering her daughter's fondness of writing letters even in this time and age. Shirley stepped forward to wrap her mother in a brief hug, and then repeated the gesture with her father. "I'll be fine. I'm sure the first day will be great." The orange-haired teen watched her parents' car speeding off.

 _"A new school. A new home. A new life."_ Shirley thought to herself as she strode towards Ashford Academy.

* * *

"Class 1D…" Shirley paused, glancing up at the signboard that hung outside of the classroom. She hesitated for a moment, and then she knocked slowly on the light blue metallic door before it slid open, revealing the room and the people inside it.

"Hello there," a short, middle-aged man with receding greying hair, who seemed to be the professor, spoke in a gruff voice, twirling a pencil idly with his right hand. "I suppose you're the new transfer student this class is expecting?" he asked, his eyebrows rose as he glanced at her.

"Hi, um, yes I am", Shirley replied. "My name's Shirley Fenette… this is class 1D, right?" she enquired, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the strap of her sling bag.

"Yes it is. I'm Robert Jones, your history professor. You may call me Mr. Jones," Mr. Jones said in an uninterested voice. He raised a hand, pointing his pencil at one of the long tables near the back of the class, with three empty seats. "You may take a seat there," he continued monotonously.

"Thank you, Mr. Jones," Shirley politely nodded. She noticed that some of the other girls in the class shot her some looks. _"Jealousy?"_ She pondered. "Is the other seat unoccupied too?" she wondered aloud as she made her way to her seat.

"Hmmph," Mr. Jones muttered. " _Mister_ Lamperouge is most likely going to be late… again," his voice tinged with frustration. He waited for a moment for Shirley to take a seat before he cleared his throat and continued, "Now, class, please turn to page two hundred and sixteen of your textbook, we'll be looking at the conquest of Japan and the establishment of Area 11-."

The professor was interrupted by the sound of the door sliding open again, announcing the entrance of another student. Whispers immediately broke out amongst the female students in the class. Shirley, who had her head down, was in the process of retrieving her textbook from her bag when she heard the outbreak of murmuring. Curiosity piqued, she looked up and froze instantly, her eyes enraptured by the newcomer.

The student was male, with almost silky raven black hair that was swept carelessly to one side of his angular, flawless face. He was tall and rather thin. Similarly to the other male students, he was dressed in the Ashford school uniform, but unlike them, he excluded an aura of magnetism and sophistication despite the utterly bored look on his face. His violet eyes swept across the room and he walked towards the table where Shirley was seated at. "He's _so_ perfect!" one of the girls sighed dreamily.

Shirley found herself subconsciously nodding, agreeing with her.

"Yo, Lelouch!" an average looking male student with semi-long blue hair called out enthusiastically, his hand raised in greeting.

"Hello, Rivalz," the new arrival returned the greeting, smiling slightly.

Mr. Jones raised his eyebrows. Physical looks aside, he did not understand why this student, Lelouch Lamperouge, was so popular, especially among the girls in Ashford Academy. "What a surprise, you're on time. Scratch that, you actually attended another of my classes. That's the third history lesson you've attended this semester, Lelouch," he said, glaring at him.

"I don't see why you are always making a big fuss out of it, professor", Lelouch replied haughtily. "After all, I'm still scoring well enough on every assignment and test". Shirley frowned upon hearing such words coming from the seemingly 'perfect' guy.

"You will never achieve much in life with that cockiness, Lelouch," Mr. Jones admonished, his greying brows furrowing, forming an annoyed frown as Lelouch only smirked in reply as he stalked forward, pausing just before his table and cocked his head questioningly.

"Who's this?" Lelouch asked, looking at Shirley. Shirley nearly jumped out of her seat, wincing slightly as her thighs collided painfully with the bottom of table and almost lost her balance. Sniggers echoed through the room and Shirley felt a crimson tint growing on her face as she met Lelouch's bemused gaze and she extended her hand forward in a handshake.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Shirley Fenette, I'm a new transfer student here, it's my first day here," she rattled off, flushing as Lelouch took her hand and shook it.

There was a small pause, before Lelouch finally introduced himself. "Lelouch Lamperouge. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but honestly you won't be seeing me around here much…"

"Shirley's going to be your partner for the history assignment due next week", Mr. Jones called out. "And I expect you to be around to help a new student, at the very least!". Lelouch scowled at his teacher, who was most likely trying to use Shirley's status as a new student as an excuse to get him to attend his classes.

"Let's work hard to do well for this assignment, shall we?" Shirley flashed him her winning smile.

Lelouch glanced at her and snorted slightly. "Work hard?" he sneered. "Don't worry; I'll take care of it. I prefer to work alone."

Shirley blinked in surprise at Lelouch, who merely smirked again as he took a seat next to her. _Is this the sort of person I'm going to be partnered with?_ She could not help but stare incredulously at Lelouch. " _Good first day of school indeed."_ She thought gloomily as Mr. Jones resumed his class, droning on about the conquest of Area 11.

* * *

"What's on your mind?" a voice asked Shirley. Startled, Shirley almost dropped her purse as Sophie Wood, a petite girl of her age with long, light purple hair leaned forward. Sophie was also her roommate and fellow classmate. As Sophie was also a transfer student who had only joined the school two weeks ago, they became fast friends. They were leaving Omotensado Mall, where Sophie offered to bring Shirley to, to let her 'see the sights' of Area 11 during their lunch break.

"Just thinking about my history assignment", Shirley replied, scratching her head thoughtfully. "And how to complete it," she added. " _Honestly, why do I have to be paired up with him of all people? He seems so frivolous and arrogant."_ Shirley thought.

"Oh, the history assignment next week?" Sophie chuckled. "You're _so_ lucky to be partners with Lelouch. Half of the girls in the school would kill you if that meant they would work together with him!"

"How about you? Surely you're not one of them," Shirley could not help but jest. They shared a laugh, before Shirley's demeanour became more sober. "Seriously though, I have no idea what to do about it. He said he would do it himself, but he seems so frivolous and carefree, I wonder if he can even be relied on…", her words trailed off as they exited the mall and started walking back to Ashford Academy, pausing at a traffic light. Her vivid green eyes rested on a motorcycle with a sidecar attached to it. " _Speak of the devil."_ Shirley thought as she identified the familiar occupants in Ashford Academy uniform. The driver was Rivalz, and the passenger in the sidecar was Lelouch.

"Just as we were talking about him." Sophie nodded at Lelouch. "He's probably returning from gambling. Rivalz always drives him to his gambling activities."

"Gambling?" Shirley asked distastefully as she observed them. Lelouch, as usual, was wearing a look of total disinterest. As she debated calling out to them, the loud screech of tires grated on her ears. Instinctively, she took a step back from the road and winced as she witnessed a dark blue sports car speeding forward and slamming into the back of a cream white sedan, which surged forward several feet before stopping. The door of the dark blue automobile swung open, revealing a young, lanky male with short cropped brown hair. His eyes were obscured by a pair of sunglasses, but he radiated fury and indignation. The occupants of the sedan alighted, an elderly couple with confused expressions as they watched the young man strode angrily towards them.

"What's the matter with you people?!" the driver of the sports car yelled furiously, pointing at the aged couple. "Couldn't you get out of the way when you saw my car approaching? It's brand new! Now look at the damage!" he ranted on, gesturing hotly at the ruined front of his vehicle. "I demand compensation from you folks!" Shirley frowned in fierce disapproval. " _From any way you look at it, it was his fault. The other car was stationary and simply waiting for the traffic light to turn green."_

Clearly, the elderly couple was taken aback by the vehemence of the other man, especially because they did nothing wrong. "Ah, young man, I think there is a misunderstanding," the old man tried for an explanation. "We were just waiting for the traffic light to go green, there's no way we could hav-"

"No excuses!" the uncouth youth shouted. "You're trying to run away without compensating me, aren't you? Don't you dare attempt to escape without paying me!" Lelouch's eyes shifted from his phone to the commotion as he calmly removed his helmet and stood up from the sidecar, walking over to the tow truck in front of the motorcycle. Shirley's eyes widened in amazement as she witnessed Lelouch attach the tow to the sports car before returning to the motorcycle, his act unbeknownst to both parties and all the while maintaining his aloof expression.

A moment later, the traffic light changes from red to green and the tow truck accelerated, pulling along the sports car with it. "Wait, wha-?" the man exclaimed. "What the hell?! That's my brand new sports car! Wait!" he protested as he ran after the tow truck.

Rivalz burst out laughing and looked at Lelouch, impressed. "That was genius, Lelouch", he grinned, giving Lelouch a thumbs up.

"Whatever. Let's just go back to school. Mr. Johnson would probably kick up a fuss just because we're a few minutes late again." Lelouch said dismissively as Rivalz obeyed, kicking the motorcycle to life as they sped back in the direction of Ashford Academy.

Shirley stared after them in a mixture of wonderment and curiosity. " _Did he just…? Why would he do that anyway? He didn't do it to boast or laugh. I wonder what that guy is thinking."_ A spark of curiosity ignited in Shirley's mind.

"Let's return to Ashford, shall we?" Sophie asked Shirley, inadvertently interrupting her train of thought.

Shirley nodded. "Sure. I need to ask Lelouch a question", she blurted out. "For the history assignment," she hastily added, noting Sophie's confused look, as they walked back to Ashford Academy. Hopefully, he would be a lot more cooperative this time.


	2. To the Tokyo Tower

Author's note: I'm kind of on a roll here. Hope you guys find this chapter to your liking. Cheers!

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass to any extent.

* * *

 **Chapter 2**  
 **To the Tokyo Tower**

"Checkmate." Lelouch declared to Rivalz, a superior smirk on his face. The blue-haired teen's eyes widened incredulously before he groaned in frustration and threw his hands up into the air.

"I swear you're unbeatable in chess, Lelouch. Why can't I get on your level although you already said you taught me all you knew?" Rivalz complained.

They were playing chess on one of the stone tables found around Ashford Academy's lawn. Rivalz, keen in getting better at chess after witnessing Lelouch's winnings during their gambling trips, frequently asked his friend for a friendly match during their lunch break when they're not out gambling. As usual, they were surrounded by a gaggle of excited girls. Rivalz knew the reason they always gathered when he played chess with Lelouch, and he was not deluding himself that they were watching him or even the chess game; they were watching Lelouch… as usual. Rivalz wondered why Lelouch hardly showed any of the girls even a tiny bit of attention, if he was in his shoes, he might try to go out with one of them. _"_ _Some of them are pretty good looking after all."_ Rivalz thought.

Rivalz scanned through the crowd of spectators briefly and did a double take as he spotted a familiar girl with orange hair. It was Shirley. As far as he knew, she never showed any interest in Lelouch. Shirley seemed rather out of place in the group of girls, as she was one of the few without a fawning expression on her face. Rivalz shrugged. Whatever the new girl's reason is to watch them play a game of chess, it wasn't his concern. Perhaps she was a chess player as well. Rivalz was about to leave when the sound of squeaking wheels reached his ears. "Big brother!" a voice sang out sweetly as a young girl with flowing sandy brown hair and light blue eyes, came into view in a pink elaborate wheelchair.

"Ah, Nunnally", Lelouch smiled affectionately at his younger sister before kneeling down, his arms spread to give her a light hug. "Do you need something?"

"No," Nunnally answered as she leaned forward. "I just wanted to see you for a while", Nunnally beamed as she embraced her brother briefly. Nunnally watched as the crowd of girls slowly dispersed, as they made their own way to their afternoon classes.

"You missed me that much?" Lelouch chuckled. "Unfortunately, I have chemistry class in about five minutes. I'll see you later tonight for dinner, Nunnally." Nunnally's face fell, but she brightened up and gave her brother a cheery wave as she scooted away. Smiling to himself, Lelouch gathered up his chess set and was about to start walking back to class when a vaguely familiar voice reached his ears.

"Lelouch, wait!" Shirley called out as she half-jogged towards him. Lelouch spun around and found himself looking at the new student. " _What's her name again? Oh right, it's Shirley_." Lelouch thought as the girl reached his side. "I have something to ask you", the auburn-haired teen began.

"What is it, Shirley?" Lelouch asked, as he glanced at his watch. " _Four minutes before class starts. This better be good."_

"I… um, do you mind… I mean, would you be free this evening, Lelouch?" Shirley blurted out nervously as she felt her cheeks redden. She cursed herself for her reaction, hoping that he did not notice it. " _It's not like I'm asking him out on a date or anything… I just want to know him better. And complete the assignment."_

"Why?" Lelouch asked suspiciously. " _She better not be asking me out on a date. I don't have time for such mundane activities."_

"Um, for the history assignment! I mean… since we're working together, I thought of visiting the Britannian Victory Memorial Center. I heard there's a lot of information about the conquest of Area 11 over there… so I was thinking of going there…" Shirley's voice trailed off as an annoyed expression began forming on Lelouch's face.

"Didn't I say I will complete the assignment for us?" Lelouch replied coolly. " _I could probably write an essay on that in my sleep since I was in Japan during the war with Britannia."_ Lelouch was about to resume his admonishment when he noticed Shirley's crestfallen expression. He recalled that she was a new student and his heart softened a little at her obvious disappointment. " _I guess there's no harm relenting for once...",_ Lelouch thought to himself.

"Alright," Lelouch sighed and he ran his hands over his hair, ruffling it. "Don't say I was being a jerk. This evening, five p.m. I'll see you at the front gates of Ashford. I'll bring you to the Memorial Center."

"Really?" Shirley perked up and gave a dazzling smile. "Then… I'll see you there this evening then. Thanks, Lelouch!" With that, she sped off in a run towards one of the main buildings of the academy, leaving a puzzled Lelouch behind. The dark-haired adolescent blinked in consternation at the abruptness of the conversation's end, then frowned in confusion as he watched and calculated Shirley's path. "The chemistry lab's the other way!" Lelouch yelled, shaking his head at her.

* * *

"Hey Shirley," Sophie nudged her roommate when the school bell rang. "Wanna grab some dinner? I'm starving."

"Hmm?" Shirley said absent-mindedly. She was recalling the earlier events of the day, and she replayed Lelouch's interaction with his younger sister in her mind. " _He has a caring side as well, it seems. I suppose that's no surprise, she's his younger sister after all."_

"Shirley?" Sophie asked, waving her hand before auburn-haired girl's eyes, startling her out of her reverie.

"Oh. Sorry but I'm meeting Lelouch," Shirley replied as Sophie's words finally registered with her mind. "We're going to the Britannian Victory Memorial Center."

"Wait, you're going out with Lelouch?" Sophie asked, shocked. Shirley nodded nonchalantly, and Sophie gasped. "Wow. Run along then, I shall not interrupt the time of you two lovebirds." Sophie teased, causing Shirley's face to turn almost the same colour as her hair.

"It's not like that!" Shirley protested. "We're just going there to gather information for our history assignment, that's all! You're reading too much into it."

"Even if what you said is true, there hasn't been a single girl whom Lelouch has consented to go out with alone, other than his sister, Nunnally," Sophie continued, her eyes gleaming with excitement for her friend. "Good luck!"

"Whatever, Sophie. Thanks for the luck, I suppose," Shirley waved off her friend's claims, although she felt a small spark of happiness growing after Sophie gave her that tidbit of information. "I'll see you later tonight." She moved towards the front gates of the academy, with a spring in her step and a small smile on her face. As she reached the entrance of the school, she was greeted by Lelouch. Like Shirley, he was dressed in his Ashford uniform.

"You're on time." Lelouch commented, his eyebrows raised in surprise. True to Sophie's words, this was his first time going out with someone of the opposite gender alone. He heard from many of his male friends about how some females take forever to prepare themselves before going out, and would end up showing up late for appointments with friends. Thankfully, Shirley didn't fit the stereotype. He would be quite unpleasant if her lack of punctuality caused him to be late for dinner with Nunnally.

"Unlike you, when it's time for class." Shirley countered. Lelouch raised his eyebrows further and chuckled at the jest.

"Well, that's more often true than not." Lelouch admitted, shaking his head that he had to concede a point. Shirley felt her lips curve into a smile and there was a moment of silence. Lelouch cleared his throat. "So… shall we get a move on?"

Before Shirley could reply, she was interrupted by the unexpected arrival of another recognizable person. "Hey guys, what are you doing around here?" Rivalz approached them curiously, cocking his head in surprise as he regarded both Lelouch and Shirley together at the school gates.

"We're about to head off to the Britannian Victory Memorial Center to get information about the history assignment", Lelouch supplied, glancing at Shirley before returning his attention to Rivalz. "At Shirley's request, of course", he added. Rivalz's face instantly lit up in excitement.

"Oh, that's cool! Can I come along? I'm getting bored out of my mind, and my partner for that assignment is hopeless," Rivalz complained. "It'll be good for me too. I know nuts about the conquest of Japan."

"Sure, why not?" Lelouch replied dryly. "The more the merrier after all". Shirley blinked once in surprise and groaned inwardly, but chose to remain silent.

"Okay, thanks Lelouch! Why are you guys standing around anyway?" Rivalz asked cheerfully as he bounded forward, enthusiasm in his every step."Let's go!"

* * *

"So, Britannia managed to conquer Area 11 largely due to its technological superiority, huh?" Rivalz remarked, reading one of the sign boards. The three of them, Lelouch, Shirley and Rivalz were at the memorial center and they were examining the various exhibitions, all of them depicting the Britannian war against Japan. Rivalz snorted in amusement. "Seems like their superiority does not extend to their architecture, this place still looks like crap on the outside. I never understood why this center is so ugly, it looks like a tower with the top half blown off by explosives."

"Because it is one," Lelouch replied, rolling his eyes at Rivalz. "This used to be the Tokyo Tower. It was damaged in the war and the Britannians never bothered to fix it. They simply renamed the tower to the Britannian Victory Memorial Center and left it unrepaired, as an affront to the Elevens' pride. Typical of the Britannian Empire, really." Lelouch sniffed in disdain.

Shirley was examining another exhibition when she heard Lelouch made the comment about the Britannian Empire, noticing his tone. She looked over at Lelouch in mild surprise, wondering why would a fellow Britannian would hold contempt for his own empire, but the expression on Lelouch's face, a half-concealed mixture of sorrow and bitterness, convinced her not to ask.

"So, Shirley, I hope you don't mind me asking, but how did you end up at Ashford?" Rivalz asked curiously as he quickly grew bored of the museum's exhibits.

"Well, I moved to Area 11 from Pendragon recently," Shirley explained as she observed Lelouch staring at a portrait of the Britannian Emperor, Charles zi Britannia. "My dad was looking for a job after his previous company folded and he found a job as a geologist… but it required him to work in this Area, so my family was relocated here. My parents said they heard good things about Ashford Academy, so they found me a spot in the school. And how about you, Rivalz?"

"Hmm? I was born and raised in California. After my parent's divorce, I moved to Area 11 with my mother about four years ago," Rivalz responded amiably, despite his less-than-perfect sounding past. "She wanted me to get the best education available in Area 11, so here I am. I work part-time in a bar to help with the school fees, though". Rivalz's gaze shifted to Lelouch, who was still gazing at the painting. "Hey Lelouch, how about you? I actually never knew much about your background."

"It's a long story, Rivalz," Lelouch did not take his eyes off the portrait. "A very long story…" his voice trailed off, his eyes glazed over as he thought of his bittersweet past of his life as a Britannian prince and his exile to Japan, now known as Area 11.

"We have time to listen, Lelouch! Come on, we wanna know," Rivalz persisted in his efforts.

"Is it really necessary?" Lelouch muttered. He did not like to reveal his past, for even if he left out the part of being royalty, his childhood was bittersweet and ended in tragedy.

"Come on," Rivalz cajoled, tugging on Lelouch's sleeve slightly. Lelouch sighed, turned towards his long-time gambling partner and witnessed Shirley nodding in agreement.

"Very well then," Lelouch narrowed his violet eyes at his companions, his voice tightening. "It all began when I was nine, when my mother passed away. My father sent Nunnally and I to Japan, effectively deserting us." He paused as Shirley blinked in shock at this information, and while Rivalz also looked appalled, his expression quickly changed to one of inquisitiveness.

"Barely a year passed and the Britannian Empire declared war on Japan. Nunnally and I had to learn to survive on our own throughout the entire war," Lelouch continued, with barely concealed resentment. "After Area 11 was established, we sought aid from anyone who would help us and the Ashford Family kindly took us in. And that's how I ended up at the academy."Lelouch looked downwards, his shoulders slumped. _"Or at least, it's a half-truth. The Ashford Family took us in because we were Marianne's children."_

"I'm sorry," Lelouch looked up as Shirley apologized, sympathy written all over her face. "I didn't know you had such a hard past, Lelouch". She tried for an encouraging smile. Lelouch returned it, but Shirley could see that the smile did not extend to his eyes; they were still filled with hurt at his own tragic past.

"How did your mother die, Lelou- Ow!" Rivalz yelped in pain as Shirley stepped on his foot and shot him a glare for his lack of tact. "That hurt!" Rivalz grumbled, massaging his foot while he hopped one-legged on the other one.

"Murder." Lelouch's reply was cold. Shirley's act of stepping on Rivalz did not escape his notice, and Lelouch felt a small surge of gratitude towards her, for she did it out of concern for him. "It was murder. Our house was broken into by robbers and Nunnally was crippled in the very same attack. We could have still gotten by, but our father decided to abandon us. He left us to fend for ourselves. Damn hi-", Lelouch's fists were clenched, then suddenly all the anger and bitterness seemed to bleed out of him, and he was back to wearing an expression of calm.

"Are you okay, Lelouch?" Shirley was concerned. Currently, Lelouch seemed nothing like the arrogant and carefree person whom sat beside her during school. " _Stupid question",_ Shirley berated herself. He looked almost depressed and like he needed a hug a few moments ago. " _Of course he's not okay, he just dug up a bunch of painful memories."_

"It'll be okay," Shirley reassured Lelouch and gave him another sunny smile. She hesitated for a brief moment before she patted her classmate softly on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him whatever way she could.

Lelouch was silent for a long moment. He already regretted dilvuging bits of his past, even if they weren't entirely true. "Thanks, Shirley," he said quietly, his voice no longer shaking as he regained control of himself. He then straightened his posture and asked in a louder voice, "Now, are we done here? I have something to attend to at home."

"Wait a sec, we should take a group photo before we leave," Rivalz exclaimed as they exited the center, digging into his maroon backpack and coming up with a camera. "Hold on- hey, d'you mind helping us take a photo?" Rivalz requested a passer-by, who nodded mutely.

"Thanks!" Rivalz uttered as he passed the camera to the stranger. "Now guys… smile!" Rivalz held up his hands enthusiastically in a victory sign, while Shirley casted a look of doubt at him and Lelouch simply kept on his look of disinterest. The passer-by took the photo and passed the camera back to Rivalz, who eagerly searched for the picture and pouted. "You guys look so indifferent", he complained crossly.

"Let's just return to Ashford, Rivalz," Lelouch sighed in annoyance. "I have plenty of other better things to do." Lelouch led the way back, with Shirley constantly glancing at him with a worried expression. It was clear that Lelouch was hiding something about his past.

 _"There was something in his eyes which tells me that just now,"_ Shirley thought. _"He's a very interesting person alright. Proud and haughty on the outside, broken and bitter inside."_

With that thought, Shirley felt determined to get closer to Lelouch. Perhaps one day she can understand him, help him and even fix him.

* * *

Author's Note: I wasn't too satisfied with how I ended this chapter, but I wanted it to go along the lines of this. Do let me know what you guys think. FYI, I aim to upload a chapter every week and we'll be looking more into Lelouch's past in the AU next chapter.


	3. 2009 ATB

Author's Note: Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. This is where we begin to explore the differences in the AU. The first half is a different yet similar version of Lelouch's confrontation with Charles after his mother's death.

P.S. ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!

* * *

 **Chapter 3  
2009 A.T.B.**

 **8 years ago, Pendragon Imperial Palace, 2009 A.T.B.**

"Announcing 11th Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, 17th heir to the Royal Britannian Imperial Throne!" One of the imperial guards declared. The twin intricate metal doors creaked opened, revealing a dark-haired child clad in white regal clothing. Despite his young age, his face was stern and his violet eyes shone with fierce determination as he strode purposefully into the throne room of the imperial palace.

Lelouch walked along the scarlet carpeted aisle towards the Britannian Emperor, Charles zi Britannia, who sat calmly on his gold-carved throne. Charles zi Britannia was a man of imposing size and with a mane of curled white hair and violet eyes. A crowd of nobles, who were gathered along the aisle, bowed as a sign of respect to the fledgling prince, some of them clasping their hands to their hearts. Hushed whispers broke out among the nobles as Lelouch stalked past them.

"I heard Empress Marianne was killed inside of the Britannian palace…"

"There's no way terrorists could have just gotten in there!"

A voice murmured hesitantly, "Then, the real killers must have been…"

"Beware, my friend! You'll regret starting rumors like that around here!" A frantic voice cut the noble off.

"And yet he seems so steadfast, even though his mother is dead!" an elderly aristocrat observed, mumbling under his breath.

"But he has no path to the throne now", another patrician interjected quietly. "And the Ashford family who backed them is finished, too".

"And his sister, the princess?" a feminine voice inquired.

"I heard she was shot in the legs", the reply was swift. "She was caught in the attack as well and she will no longer be able to walk. She can't even be married off for political gain now."

Lelouch paid the muttering noblemen no heed as he stood before his father. Despite his calm demeanour, he was pent up with anger and misery over his mother's death. He tried not to sob as he recalled the scene of his mother, Marianne vi Britannia, sprawled dead in front of him, bleeding from multiple bullet wounds. To make matters worse, Nunnally, his beloved little sister, was shot as well, and she would be crippled for life! Lelouch had to compose himself before reporting the incident to his father, the Britannian Emperor. Hopefully his father had a good idea about his mother's killers.

Charles gazed at Lelouch severely for several long seconds, tapping his foot impatiently before the young prince finally cleared his throat before announcing, "Your Majesty! My mother has passed away due to an attack by unknown perpetrators!"

"What of it?" Charles replied, his tone uninterested as he looked at his son.

Lelouch blinked and took a step back in consternation. "What of it?" Lelouch repeated, his voice quivering, shock written all over his face. " _The empress of Britannia was assassinated! How could the emperor give such an indifferent reply?"_

"You sought an audience with the emperor of Britannia simply to tell me that? Old news! Send in the next person! I have no time to babysit a child!" Charles barked harshly, gesturing at the imperial guards flanking him.

Something within Lelouch snapped. After his mother's death and Nunnally's crippling, he nearly had an emotional breakdown and shut himself in his room for hours, only to resolve to bring the news to his father in the hopes that he would provide some information – something, _anything_ , about his mother's murderers. And yet, Charles was merely apathetic about it.

"Father!" Lelouch cried, charging up the stairs towards the Britannian Emperor angrily. The highly trained imperial guards immediately sprang into action, interlocking their polearms together to block the enraged youth. Charles held up a hand, and the guards fell back obediently.

"Why didn't you protect Mother?!" Lelouch yelled at his father, the prince's composure totally gone as his emotions came boiling to the surface. "You're the emperor! The greatest man in this nation! You should have protected her! And now… you don't even visit Nunnally!"

"I have no use for weaklings!" Charles's reply was cold, his violet eyes – so much like Lelouch's own, shone with a cruel light.

"Weaklings?!"

"That is what it means to be royalty."

Lelouch trembled with outrage. " _How dare he- how DARE that man call Nunnally and his mother weaklings when he did not protect them?"_ Lelouch glared furiously at the Emperor. "Then I don't want to be your heir!" the Eleventh prince spat spitefully.

The murmuring of the aristocrats behind him reached a crescendo as they registered Lelouch's words. While it was doubtful that he could be emperor after Marianne's death, the prince sealed his fate by publicly renouncing his right to the throne. Ignoring the shocked mutterings of the nobles, Lelouch continued. "I've had enough of the fighting and the scheming over who'll succeed you!" Lelouch was about to say more when the Emperor's nostrils flared in anger.

"You are dead," Charles retorted, the statement bringing Lelouch up short. "You've been dead from the moment you were born. Who gave you the clothes you wear? Your home, your food, your very life! All of those I have given to you!" Charles paused for a moment.

"In short, you have never actually lived!" Charles roared, his eyes blazing with fury. "And yet, you dare to speak such foolishness to me?!" Charles rose to his full impressive height, towering over Lelouch easily. The prince yelped in terror and fell back as he realized that he had crossed a line. "Lelouch… As you are dead, you have no rights. I am exiling you and Nunnally from the Holy Empire of Britannia. Now, lock him up in one of the rooms. I will deal with this impudent pup later!"

"Yes, your majesty!" the imperial guards saluted as they closed in on the child-prince, dragging him away from the throne room.

* * *

Lelouch winced as he nursed his sore arms. The guards were not very gentle in handling him, their grip were as strong as iron as they half-shoved him into one of the rooms of the imperial palace before locking the door. Lelouch felt his resentment towards his father and the Britannian Empire grow, but the eleventh prince knew that he was powerless to do anything about it as of now.

Lelouch let out a growl and kicked at a chair furiously, but was only rewarded with a sharp pain in his foot. He cursed under his breath, hopping on one foot gingerly across the room in frustration. He glanced at a clock in the room, wondering when he would be let out.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the doors opened and the Emperor of Britannia entered, staring at his son imperiously. Lelouch halted his pacing, glared at his father and was about to make a caustic remark when Charles visibly relaxed, discarding his mask of arrogance as he exhaled, wearing an expression of utter exhaustion on his aged face. Lelouch frowned, feeling disquieted by what he just witnessed. Through what little interaction he had with his father, the emperor of Britannia never sighed or showed any outward appearance of fatigue.

"Have a seat, my son," Charles motioned at one of the chairs in the room wearily, as he trudged forward and nearly collapsed into another chair, startling Lelouch. " _The Emperor never shows weakness"_ , Lelouch thought as he meekly obeyed, climbing on the ornate red chair, slightly intrigued by his father's extraordinary behaviour.

"You must understand, Lelouch, that things are rather complicated at the moment," Charles began heavily. "Your mother, Marianne, would understand." At the mere mention of his deceased mother, Lelouch opened his mouth angrily to speak, but Charles held up a hand placidly. "Please let me finish," the emperor instructed. "Despite what you have just witnessed during your public audience with me, I am greatly upset by Marianne's death. And on the contrary, I did try to protect your mother, but her royal guard received orders from no less than Marianne herself to withdraw before she was killed." Lelouch's face was aghast as he digested this new information. He stared into his father's eyes, and he only saw genuine regret and honesty reflecting back at him.

"There were rumors that someone asked her to do so," Charles continued. "If this is true, I suspect that an insider had arranged Marianne's death, since that request for her to withdraw the guard must be from someone whom she trusts implicitly." Charles paused, then grimaced.

"However, as much as I would like to get to the bottom of Marianne's murder, it would take an unknown amount of time to find the perpetrators," Charles resumed quietly, his eyes shining with righteous anger. "And it seemed that the attack was not only aimed at your mother, but at you and your sister as well. The assassination attempt on you and Nunnally failed due to the heroic actions of a few royal guards, who felt that Marianne was behaving strangely and continued their guard duties in secret. Although they were too late to save your mother, they managed to repel the assassins and preserve the lives of you and Nunnally. As the culprits may have infiltrated the Britannian nobility and even royalty, I deem it necessary to send you and Nunnally to Japan to hide from the assailants from possible attacks in the future until I solve the Empress's death."

Lelouch was silent for a long moment, assimilating what his father just said. _"_ _Makes too much sense, from his point of view_ ", Lelouch thought. "Why Japan?" Lelouch found himself asking.

"It's because it's the least likely country to be attacked due to its unique position of nearly having monopoly over the Sakuradite supply," Charles replied, rubbing his eyes as he reclined his massive frame against the chair, which creaked slightly in protest.

Lelouch understood now. "Of course, the three world powers… Britannia, Europia United and the Chinese Federation. If any of the superpowers were to invade Japan, the other two will be forced to attack or risk destruction as the conqueror will have access to seventy percent of the world's Sakuradite supply," Lelouch said knowledgeably to a nodding Charles.

"Thus, I'm afraid it would be the best for you and your sister to go to Japan to hide. You two can return once this is solved," Charles promised. "Rest assured that I will get to the bottom of Marianne's death."

* * *

"Father… that was a lie. In the end, you still abandoned Nunnally and I to die," Lelouch muttered in his sleep as his head drooped limply to the left, landing with a thud on Shirley's right shoulder.

Shirley felt herself go red in the face as Lelouch unintentionally rested his head against her shoulder in his sleep. She could feel the resentful and jealous looks the other girls were shooting her and hear sniggering among many male classmates, Rivalz included.

It has been a few weeks after the trip to the Britannian Victory Memorial Center. Since then, Lelouch began to treat her in a much friendlier manner, although he still kept on his nonchalant appearance often. The black-haired teenager had not mentioned his past at all after his somewhat emotional outburst at the center, and Shirley avoided probing him about it, as it must have been very unpleasant. Following their visit, Shirley pulled Rivalz aside and asked him not to bring it up while Lelouch was around, fearing that Rivalz's lack of tact may cause Lelouch distress again.

Currently, they were attending history lessons in classroom 1-D, with Mr. Jones's monotonous voice echoing through the room. It was a sunny and balmy afternoon, and Lelouch was far from the only one napping in class; the summer heat combined with Mr. Jones's dull rambling has lulled at least three other students to sleep and nearly a quarter of the class to drowsy states. The fact that history class was right after lunch certainly did not help improve the attentiveness of the class.

Shirley contemplated waking Lelouch up, but was hesitant to do so as Lelouch looked so peaceful dozing off. In Shirley's eyes, he almost appeared cute – endearing even, when he started to snore lightly on her shoulder. A sudden stroke of inspiration struck her as she tried to come up with an affectionate nickname for him – a quirky habit of hers, which her friends back in Pendragon were often on the receiving end of. She attempted to shrug him off gently to avoid waking him up, but it was to no avail. If she had to get Lelouch off her shoulder, she had to wake him up.

"Hey, Lulu, wake up," Shirley called out softly, using the moniker she just came up with, nudging Lelouch lightly on his shoulder. Unfortunately for her, Lelouch appeared to be in a deep slumber and barely stirred. As more of the class paid more attention to Lelouch's napping on Shirley's shoulder, she could not stand the staring and snickering no longer. "Lulu…" Shirley called out again, louder this time and with a hint of impatience in her voice, tapping her pen three times against his face, albeit rather lightly.

"Hmm?" was Lelouch's not quite-intellectual reply as he finally woke up, his eyes fluttering as they adjusted to the sudden light. He then frowned, slightly perplexed as he felt a pressing sensation against the left of his face and immediately looked up into Shirley's peridot green eyes, which were looking back at him. Lelouch coughed awkwardly, mildly embarrassed as he concluded that he must have slumped against Shirley in his unplanned afternoon doze before righting himself.

"You sure took forever to wake up, Lulu," Shirley teased, a slight smile playing on her lips. Lelouch's expression changed from sheepish to nonplussed as she addressed him by the nickname she styled for him.

"Lulu?" Lelouch asked, the name sounding strange and unfamiliar on his tongue. The prince in hiding raised his eyebrows at the redhead. "You came up with a nickname for me?"

"It's a silly little habit of mine since young", Shirley said cheerfully, although there was a slightly defensive tone in her voice. "Do you like it? I might call you by such from now on" Shirley added as an afterthought, noting Lelouch's growing bemusement.

"Well, whatever pleases you I guess," Lelouch snorted in reply, brushing her question off. At that moment, the classroom's door slid open and a tall male student stepped forth. He was lean but it was undeniable that he was also rather well-built. His complexion and physical features indicated that he was clearly of Japanese, or Eleven, descent.

"Hello. Is this class 1-D?" the Eleven adolescent asked, adjusting the collar of the Ashford uniform uncomfortably as he peered curiously at the class. He had dark green eyes and a mop of chestnut brown hair. Shirley observed that the new arrival did a slight double-take as his eyes passed over Lelouch, who responded by blinking in surprise and she cocked her head curiously at their peculiar behaviour.

"Oh, it's you. I've been told to be expecting you to arrive sooner or later," Mr. Jones replied breezily. "And yes, this is class 1-D, you can read it on the signboard outside. Class is about to end, but would you like to introduce yourself to the class before it does?"

"I'd like to do so, thank you mister…?" the new student asked, pausing slightly as he glanced at Lelouch again, his brows furrowing as he did so.

"Jones. Robert Jones," the weedy professor supplied airily.

"Thank you Mr. Jones," the student strode into the classroom. Faint murmuring broke out among the students as some appeared to recognize him, a few of them even looking rather nervous or frightened. If the new student noticed this, he did not show it as he attempted for a reassuring grin and announced to the class. "I'll be joining you all here at Ashford Academy starting today. I'm Kururugi Suzaku. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The muttering grew louder as Suzaku's words registered with the students, one or two of them even leaning backwards from him. The scrawny history teacher stepped up, waving his hands around as he attempted to pacify the class. "Now, now, quieten down. I know about that incident, but the truth was that a bunch of uppity soldiers tried to get him into a brawl. It isn't his fault that they got more than they asked for and half of them are in the hospital now. Class dismissed!" He turned to address Suzaku. "Mr. Kururugi, you may take a seat next to Ms. Wood over there," he pointed at Sophie, who smiled nervously at the new student.

The moment Mr. Jones left the classroom, the frantic whispering returned. Shirley frowned as many of her classmates sneaked glances at Suzaku while others were not so subtle, shooting him hostile stares challengingly, which he ignored.

"What's an Eleven doing here?"

"I heard that the victims had their bones broken…"

"He sure looks dangerous. He might be violent."

"Relax. The school wouldn't let anyone like that inside."

"Even so, he seems kinda suspicious, doesn't he…?"

"What if he's secretly psychotic or savage? We'll be in trouble then…"

Suzaku tried not to show his dismay as he heard the mumbling behind his back, not many of the students bothering to keep their volume down. They seem to eye him warily, as though expecting him to pounce on them or do something extraordinary. He sighed as he sat down beside Sophie, who looked to be unsure of whether to approach him or stay silent. The son of the last Japanese prime minister was well aware of stigma most Britannians have against Elevens but he had hoped, albeit foolishly, that this school would be different. Even honorary Britannians such as him were not spared from the persecution, it seemed.

Suzaku recalled the events leading up to his enrollment into Ashford Academy. After he was rewarded with a pilot status and even given access to an advanced Knightmare prototype named Lancelot, he was aggressively approached by envious Britannian Knightmare pilots. He avoided injuring them to the best of his ability, but one could not hold himself back while fighting four-on-one odds and he inadvertently wounded them in the brawl, some of them severely.

The fist fight attracted plenty of attention from his superiors and eventually he was court-martialed. Fortunately for him, he was absolved of guilt as the surveillance cameras recorded the entire incident, but they ruled that he should enroll in a school as he was 'so young'. If he had to receive an education, he would rather get a good one, and he searched for the most reputable school for having high quality teaching and voila – he ended up at Ashford Academy. This was one reason why he hoped that he would be better received at Ashford, for he expected more from such a prestigious school. Too bad for him that he was proven wrong, judging from antagonistic glaring and hushed whispering towards him.

As Suzaku pondered about how to deal with the situation, he heard a girlish voice call out. "We shouldn't just be scared of him. If we talk to him, we can see what he's like!" Upon hearing those words, Suzaku turned around, seeking to locate the speaker and his eyes rested on a slender girl with waist long orange hair. She was not unattractive – on the contrary, she was almost striking. Her green eyes sparkled with friendliness as she made her way towards him.

"Hi, I'm Shirley Fenette. It's a pleasure!" the Britannian female gushed, smiling at him in an amiable manner. Suzaku smiled in relief, pleased to see that at least there was someone who was willing to approach him. " _Perhaps Ashford isn't such a bad place after all."_ He thought optimistically.

"Kururugi Suzaku. Likewise," Suzaku's reply was short, but he returned the smile warmly. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he witnessed Lelouch beaming with approval, but it was gone in a spilt second and his childhood friend was back to wearing the mask of boredom. He watched Lelouch standing up and leaving the classroom, but not before he paused for a moment and tugged at his uniform's collar.

Suzaku took the hint. That was the sign he and Lelouch invented seven years ago. _"Let's talk in the attic,"_ the signal meant. "Uh, I'll catch up with you later, Shirley. I'll be happy to know you more later on." Suzaku said hurriedly as he quickly followed after Lelouch, leaving a slightly confused Shirley behind, who wondered why on earth Suzaku would speed off shortly after she approached him.

* * *

Shirley walked briskly around the school, knitting her brows as she attempted to locate Lelouch. The final lesson of the day was over, but both he and the new transfer student, Suzaku, were missing. For some reason, her feet were carrying her towards the school's half-completed rooftop garden. She was musing on their absence, for what could possibly occupy both of their time such that they would have to skive off classes. She was climbing the stairs to the roof when she heard Lelouch's voice. "…and this school requires you to join a club, so I'm going to bring you to the council's president."

The sound of multiple sets of footsteps grew nearer and Shirley found herself face-to-face with not only Lelouch, but Suzaku as well. Her appearance obviously surprised them, for Lelouch nearly jumped backwards and Suzaku was turning to bolt before he recognized her. "You almost gave me a heart attack, Shirley!" Lelouch groaned.

"Sorry, Lulu," Shirley simpered, fighting the urge to laugh as Lelouch's expression soured. "What are you two doing up here anyway? Do you two know each other?" she eyed the duo dubiously.

Suzaku made to open his mouth, but Lelouch cut him off. "He's my friend. I knew him since childhood. I met him when Nunnally and I arrived at Japan, before it became Area 11," Lelouch answered. "And as you witnessed earlier, our oh-so-friendly classmates gave him a wide berth, hence it's going to be hard for him to join a club, so I'm bringing him to join the student council," he added sarcastically, sniffing with disdain at the thought of his snooty classamtes.

"The student council?" Shirley blinked in astonishment. "You're a member of the council, Lulu?"

"I'm the vice-president."

"Oh," Shirley could not be any more surprised. She doubted that Lelouch looked like 'vice-president' material to many students, let alone the council. Sure, he was very popular among students, girls particularly, but on the other hand he seemed to project himself as a rather idle and aloof student, although Shirley knew that there was more to him that just that.

"Would you like to join the student council too, Shirley?" Suzaku stepped forward, grinning enthusiastically, wanting to reciprocate her friendly gesture earlier. "From what I heard from Lelouch, it sounds like quite a lot of fun."

"That's nice of you… but I'm already in the swimming club," Shirley replied, scratching her head ruefully. Joining the student council would mean that her schedule would be tighter, but she could spend more time with Lelouch, which would help her understand him better. The only obstacle was that she was already in a club. " _Perhaps it is be possible to be in two clubs in Ashford Academy,"_ she thought hopefully.

"You can join more than one club in this school. That would just mean that you would be busier and have lesser free time, of course," Lelouch replied, as though he read her mind. He turned away from the lithe female and started walking. "If you wish to join the student council, tag along with us. I'm meeting the student council president now," he called over his shoulder.

* * *

"So… the student council president… what's he like?" Shirley asked Lelouch while Suzaku trudged after them quietly. According to Lelouch, they were headed for the student council room, and Shirley found herself anticipating meeting the council members.

"It's a she," Lelouch corrected the redhead as they reached a door. _"Student Council Room",_ a signboard fixed above the entrance of the room read. "She certainly has her quirks, so please bear with her". Lelouch retrieved a plastic card with a barcode from his pocket and he tapped it against a reader next to the door, which slid open, revealing a young voluptuous woman in her late teens, with shoulder-length blonde hair.

"There you are, Lelouch!" the blonde exclaimed excitedly. "I can't have my vice-president wandering off when there's a pile of work waiting for him."

"My apologies, President," Lelouch returned, smirking. "I didn't come here because there was work to be done, though. I brought two students here and both are interested in joining the student council", Lelouch stepped aside, indicating Shirley and Suzaku. "Would you accept them into the student council?"

"Lulu, this is…?" Shirley questioned, looking at Lelouch uncertainly.

"Lulu?" the fair-haired woman repeated, with a look of genuine amusement on her face. Lelouch coughed embarrassingly and glanced away. "I'm Milly Ashford, the student council president. Pleased to meet ya," Milly continued, holding out a hand.

"I'm Shirley Fenette, of the swimming club," Shirley beamed as she shook Milly's hand.

"Kururugi Suzaku," Suzaku took Milly's outstretched hand and gave her a brief handshake.

"Would you accept them?" Lelouch prompted Milly again, a hint of impatience in his voice. The student council was Suzaku's best shot in getting in a club as he wielded considerable influence in the council as vice-president.

"Well, we're rather short-handed nowadays… and how can I turn down a request from the vice-president? You're both in!" Milly announced with a mischievous smile.

"Just like that?" Shirley and Suzaku asked in unison, disbelief plastered across their faces.

"That settles it," Lelouch smiled with relief at the pair, fighting the urge to laugh at their astounded expressions. "Welcome to the student council."

* * *

Author's Note: I feel like I owe an explanation for Charles. It was implied during the Code Geass series that he truly cared about his children. I find it sad for him that he, as a parent, is unable to show his concern due to the fact that he's a Social Darwinist. Well, if he can't show it openly, perhaps he can do it in secret.

As for the next chapter, it's going to be wacky with the school silliness up in full swing, but of course there will be important bits relating to the plot.


	4. Kallen-Suzaku-Shirley Induction Day

Author's Note: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. It's a pretty silly one, although there are important bits inside it. I hope that you guys would enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or any of its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 4  
Kallen-Suzaku-Shirley Induction Day**

"So, Prez, where are we going?" Shirley asked the student council president. She expected them to have a sit-down interview of sorts in the student council room before they decided on whether to welcome her and Suzaku in the council. Milly's swift acceptance surprised them both and now they were being led by the curvaceous blonde.

"We're going to the student clubhouse to meet the other council members. They're in one of the function rooms," Milly replied, skipping ahead cheerfully. She found Shirley's habit of assigning nicknames rather entertaining – Lelouch being called "Lulu" and she herself being named "Prez".

"Why would they be at one of the function rooms anyway?" Lelouch interjected, walking behind the two girls alongside Suzaku. "Is there an event I'm unaware of?"

"Well, yes, there's going to be an impromptu event," Milly answered, brushing a strand of her hair aside as they reached a set of huge oak doors, which she promptly pushed open, revealing a wide and spacious room. "We're here!" the blonde announced, gesturing dramatically at the room.

The group of students stepped inside. "Woah," Suzaku muttered, impressed. The room was huge; it had 2 floors, and they were currently on the higher one. A flight of red and gold carpeted stairs, its banisters complete with elaborate metal patterns, led downwards to the first floor, which had many round tables with immaculate white tablecloths. The walls were a pristine and of a light brown colour and there were large, spotless windows with fancy designs. An extravagant glass chandelier hung on the ceiling.

"It's grand, isn't it?" Milly asked, giggling at Suzaku, whose mouth was agape with wonder. She turned away from the honorary Britannian and called out. "Attention, council members, we have another two new additions here. Come out and greet them!" Almost at once, the other students appeared, peering curiously at Shirley and Suzaku.

"Eh?" Rivalz did a double take as he spotted his two classmates as new members of the student council. "What a surprise! I'm Rivalz, the secretary," he introduced as he walked up to the pair.

"I didn't know you were part of the student council too, Rivalz," Shirley smiled at the blue-haired teenager. From the corner of her eye, she noticed three girls starting to approach them – one was of average height but having a figure that could compete with Milly's, and with crimson hair that barely touched her shoulders and bright blue eyes. The other was bespectacled and rather slight with medium length hair, which was a shade of green so dark it was almost black. The remaining female council member was none other than Nunnally, who was of course seated on her wheelchair, her warm blue eyes shining with welcome.

"Kallen Stadtfeld. I just joined the council today as well," the redhead introduced, with an amiable smile on her lips as she extended her hand for a handshake.

"You look rather familiar," Shirley commented as she returned the gesture, racking her brains as she tried to place Kallen. "Wait, weren't you in class with us just now?"

"Class 1-D, yes," Kallen agreed. "I have a condition… I'm not very well, you see. That's why you won't see me much in class."

"I see. Hope you'll get better then", Shirley smiled reassuringly at the seemingly ill girl. However, she noted that despite Kallen's seeming languidness, she had a firm and strong grip when they shook hands.

"Nina Einstein," the other student council member said shyly, meeting Shirley's eyes for a moment before looking away.

Shirley glanced at her inquisitively for a moment before Nunnally chimed in, "And I'm Nunnally Lamperouge, Lelouch's younger sister… I'm only an honorary member though. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Shirley Fenette. Nice to meet you all! And this is Kururugi Suzaku," Shirley beamed at all three of them as Suzaku stepped forth, grinning sheepishly.

"So, Prez… would you like to tell us what the occasion is?" Lelouch inquired after all of the student council members were acquainted with each other. He had a sneaking suspicion, but he preferred to let Milly display her quirks herself to the new members.

"Of course! Since we have three new members joining the council today, today will be Kallen-Suzaku-Shirley Induction day!" Milly proclaimed, waving her hands around in sheer excitement. The three new council members stared at the council president.

"Is she serious?" Shirley asked Lelouch with polite incredulity.

"Now, there's no time to waste, let's prepare dinner!" Milly immediately bustled about before Lelouch could respond, grabbing the spluttering vice-president's arm and began marching towards the kitchen. "Shirley, Rivalz, you're with us for cooking! Suzaku, Kallen and Nina, please fetch the party decorations and drinks from the storehouse! Thank you!"

* * *

"Wahhh!" a voice called out shrilly, accompanied with the sound of metal pots crashing. Lelouch closed his eyes and took a deep breath as Shirley somehow managed to mess up whisking the mixture of butter, sugar, flour and eggs and spilled the contents all over the floor. In her panicked fumbling, the slender orange-haired teenager also fell backwards and landed on the floor hard. Chortling from Rivalz and Milly indicated that they found Shirley's clumsiness hilarious, and while Lelouch shared their amusement to some degree, Shirley's constant slip ups were beginning to grate on his nerves since he was a more than competent cook.

"That's the third time you managed to mess something up today, Shirley", Lelouch groaned with exasperation, although he had a slight smile on his face as he regarded her smeared with baking ingredients. He walked across the room to her side, offering her a hand. Shirley winced – more from the painful fall than Lelouch's words as she took Lelouch's hand and stood up.

"I'm sorry, Lulu," Shirley apologized, glancing at the kitchen floor, which was now slick with the mix of egg whites and yolk, not to mention butter and flour as well.

"Need a towel?" Rivalz enquired, smirking at Shirley, who had the combination of ingredients all over her. Thankfully, they were all wearing aprons, so her uniform was spared from stains, but she still looked like an absolute mess.

"I'll get one myself," Shirley answered, quickly releasing Lelouch's hand as she turned to find a place to clean up – perhaps the washroom.

"Hold on, Shirley, before you go, could you pass me the salt?" Lelouch requested. He was tending to a pot of thick white liquid at the stove, stirring its contents slowly with a wooden ladle. "I need it for the béchamel sauce."

"Oh, um, sure!" Shirley eagerly snatched up one of the shakers lying on the table and hurried over to Lelouch's side. "Here you go, Lulu!" She was about to pass it to Lelouch's outstretched palm when her hand brushed against Lelouch's, causing her to blush slightly and Lelouch's eyes to widen.

There was a moment of awkward stillness, which stretched on as Lelouch continued to stare at their hands. "Shirley?" Lelouch asked kindly, breaking the silence as he smiled at her.

"Yes?" Shirley felt her heart flutter a little and she returned the smile, their fingers still touching ever so slightly.

"That's pepper."

"Oh." An embarrassing silence ensued, and Shirley's smile faded away almost instantly. _"So Lelouch was looking at the pepper shaker all along"._ Shirley could feel herself flushing again and she mentally berated herself for her reaction and grabbing the wrong shaker in her haste. "Oops."

"You know what? I think you should just wait outside until we're done", Lelouch sighed, rested the ladle against the pot and crossed the room to fetch the salt. "You need to wash up anyway," Lelouch added as Shirley quietly shuffled her feet to the kitchen's exit in shame.

* * *

"Do you have any last words, Victor zi Britannia?" Charles zi Britannia, the ninety-eighth Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, asked icily, glowering at the subject of his ire.

Victor zi Britannia was Charles's older twin brother. He had dark pink eyes and a mane of flowing white hair – which used to be white-blonde. He ceded the chance to be Emperor after Charles overthrew their father, Hector van Britannia, with the aid of Marianne, for unknown reasons and slowly faded into obscurity.

However, several days ago he was arrested for being a suspect in Marianne's murder once incriminating evidence was found after a grueling investigation which started eight years ago. Also apprehended were numerous key leaders of the organization, known as the Sword of Akasha. The Sword of Akasha was the mastermind behind Marianne's assassination, and Victor was their leader who orchestrated the murder. This discovery was kept a secret among the Britannian royalty and a few select members of nobility. As the suspects have been proven to be guilty, their execution was scheduled to take place today in a Britannian prison's execution area. All of them were bound and secured to a guillotine, although very few of them showed despair during their last moments. The silent but resolute expressions on their faces were almost disconcerting to Charles.

"I pity you, brother. Even now, you still cannot understand that I did it for us-" Victor began, his eyes sorrowful as he stared mournfully at his younger brother.

"We've been through this before, Victor, and I find your reasons not only inane, but quite mad as well," Charles cut him off dismissively. He glanced at the other prisoners behind his brother. "How about the rest of you?"

"Strike us down and another will take our places! You cannot dismantle the Sword of Akasha! We are unstoppable!" A black haired male prisoner ranted, clearly deranged as he glared balefully at the Britannian Emperor and struggled ferociously against his bonds to no avail.

"Typical. Banal. Trite," Charles commented in a bored voice and signaled at the executioner, who nodded. Charles rose from his seat and walked away, not deigning to look at his wife's murderers as the guillotine's blade descended, making a swooshing noise, and there was a sound of flesh rending, bone snapping and an object thudding against the ground. Charles sniffed with disdain as the series of sounds repeated, filling the execution chamber and he departed from the prison, heading towards his throne room.

"Notify Margrave Gottwald that I require his assistance in a vital task. Clear the throne room once he has arrived," Charles instructed his royal guards as he entered the throne room. One of the imperial guards nodded swiftly and left, and Charles took his seat on his gold-plated throne. _"_ _Finally, Marianne's death has been avenged… it's time to call Lelouch and Nunnally back to where they belong_. _"_ Charles knew that both of his children have been listed as dead after Britannia waged war on Japan, but Charles refused to believe that they were dead. Furthermore, Lelouch was both resourceful and smart – he was probably faking his and Nunnally's deaths, thinking that Charles abandoned them both.

Charles's train of thought was interrupted when the doors to the throne room were thrown open, and a dark-green haired nobleman, dressed in a military uniform and a white and blue overcoat adorned with intricate gold patterns, entered the room. He was tall, but slightly shorter than the Britannian Emperor, and his fierce orange eyes fixated on Charles. The newcomer strode towards Charles, before kneeling before the Emperor and bowing his head in deference. "Your Majesty," he said humbly. "You sent for me?"

"I have," Charles replied simply. "Imperial guards, you are dismissed," he glanced at his guards, who dutifully obeyed and marched out of the throne room. Charles waited for a moment or two to make sure that they were alone before uttering, "Rise, Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald. I am about to assign you a task of extreme importance." That statement caught Jeremiah's interest as he rose gracefully to his feet.

"You were severely injured on the night of Marianne's assassination attempt, were you not?" Charles began, staring at the shorter man. "You felt that something was amiss when she unexpectedly dismissed her royal guard, and you convinced a number of other royal guard members to secretly resume their posts." Jeremiah blinked and nodded, his stern expression softening slightly.

Charles paused, before resuming. "Despite it all, Marianne fell to the assassins. However, you and your men managed to save the lives of the eleventh Prince and his sister, although she has been crippled by the attack. Most of the royal guards perished or succumbed to grievous wounds, but you survived with the aids of cybernetics implants."

"I owe you my thanks, your majesty," Jeremiah rumbled gratefully. "You allowed the Camelot team to test the implants on me." True enough, Jeremiah was more machine than man – he looked like a normal person on the outside, but most of his body depended on the implants for life support. Of course, the cybernetic devices had some benefits – enhanced strength, increased speed and agility and concealed weaponry, but it was a fact that if the devices were to fail, his life would be over in a matter of minutes.

Charles waved off Jeremiah's expression of gratitude. "I apologize for bringing up the painful past, but it was necessary," the Emperor's eyes narrowed. "Your next mission is to locate the eleventh prince, Lelouch vi Britannia and his sister, Nunnally vi Britannia and bring them back to the Holy Britannian Empire." Jeremiah started and his eyed widened in shock.

"Your Majesty! I was under the impression that they were deceased. Am I mistaken?!" Jeremiah asked frantically, almost forgetting who he was speaking to. Jeremiah felt like he owed a debt to these two royal children in particular as he failed them and their mother, Marianne. Despite Charles's not unkind words, he never managed to forgive himself for his catastrophic failure and blamed himself. If there was any way he could make it up to them, he would.

"To be truthful, Margrave Gottwald, I am not entirely certain. However, I cannot believe… I refuse to believe that they are dead," Charles returned. His answer seemed to surprise Jeremiah, who never thought that Charles would show any of his children such concern. "Lelouch is both talented and ingenious; he must not have fallen with his sister that easily. Hence, I hereby order you to search for them in Area 11… or Japan, which was the country I've sent them to for hiding before the war erupted."

"If you sent them to Japan, why did our forces attack and made it into Area 11, your majesty? Or why not recall them before the war started?" Jeremiah was confused. " _If Emperor Charles truly cared for his children, why did the Britannian troops attack the country they were hiding in?"_

"I had no choice. Japan aligned their Sakuradite distribution policies against the Empire," Charles grimaced. If Jeremiah was this bewildered, there was a high chance that Lelouch thought that Charles no longer cared about them. "There was pressure from not only my military advisors, but my political advisors and other members of royalty as well. To refuse to invade Japan would look suspicious or worse, it may alert the Sword of Akasha assassins to the location of their exile and the organization were on the loose back then. I _had_ to conquer Japan. The best… and only course of action was to invade Japan and pray that they don't die. I chose the possibility of death over certain death", Charles explained somewhat defensively.

"I understand," Jeremiah politely, if not reluctantly, nodded. He didn't agree with Charles's decision, but he could at least understand it. "When do I leave, your majesty?"

"Tomorrow morning. You may want to try the Kururugi Shrine, for it was the last known place where Lelouch and Nunnally resided. Do inform them that their mother's murderers have been brought to justice."

"I will not fail you, your majesty," Jeremiah promised. His eyes shone with determination. He will redeem himself by completing this mission. "I will not fail them."

* * *

"Dinner's ready!" Milly called out ardently from the kitchen. The student council president pushed a trolley, laden with several dishes while Rivalz followed her enthusiastically from the kitchen. Lelouch was the last to exit the cooking area, undoing his apron when the clubhouse's doors slid open and Suzaku, Kallen and Nina returned with their arms full of bottles and party decorations.

"Ah, Suzaku, there you are! Did you get the bottle like I asked you to?" Rivalz asked excitedly, racing over to the honorary Britannian's side. This piqued the interest of the student council as they peered curiously at the pair.

"Yup, I got it", Suzaku grinned, handing over a light green bottle over to Rivalz, who grinned back and clapped exuberantly. "Moët & Chandon, right?"

"You asked Suzaku to fetch champagne?" Shirley asked, aghast. She was seated on a chair around one of the round tables in the clubhouse after her somewhat embarrassing exit.

"Student council members can't drink!" Nina piped up shyly.

"Oh, loosen up, you guys!" Rivalz cajoled as he made to open the bottle of champagne, pushing the cork with his thumb. " _Sure, we're student council members, but surely we're allowed to let our hair down once in a while."_

"We're not allowed to drink that!" Shirley quickly insisted as she sprung to her feet and tried to wrest the bottle of champagne away from Rivalz. None of them are of legal age yet – even Milly was only seventeen, and the school rules were clearly against underage drinking. Furthermore, the student council members are to set 'good examples' for other students to follow, although a number of them, especially Rivalz and Lelouch, did not really care about it.

Rivalz continuously avoided Shirley's fumbling attempts to snatch the bottle away from him, but he was quickly getting frustrated as he wouldn't be able to open the champagne if this scuffle continued. "Lelouch, catch!" Rivalz yelled as he tossed the champagne over to his friend in an underhand throw. The bottle of alcohol sailed in a lazy arc towards Lelouch, who caught it handily.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Shirley groaned as she switched targets to Lelouch and sped over to him, still trying to get the bottle of champagne. Lelouch deftly evaded her outstretched hands, using his slightly taller height to use as he held the object high above their heads. "You're not getting away with this either, Lulu!" Shirley insisted as she pressed on stubbornly.

Unfortunately for her, Shirley leaned ahead just a little too much and she tripped. With a surprised cry, she stumbled forward into Lelouch, causing him to lose his balance as well, and they ended up sprawling on the floor with a loud thud. The champagne bottle was still gripped tightly in Lelouch's hand, pointing towards the clubhouse's ceiling. The cork of the champagne bottle, already loose from Rivalz's attempt to open it, popped open suddenly, the cork hitting Shirley's nose squarely before its contents sprayed forth, drenching her face and uniform with liquor, which dripped down to Lelouch.

"Umm… sorry, Lulu," Shirley murmured. She couldn't believe how clumsy she had been today. Her attempt to get the champagne away had been a total fiasco. Shirley then realized that Lelouch's face was in close proximity with hers; their lips were scant inches apart. She could feel heat creeping up to her face once more.

Lelouch could only sigh and shake his head in disbelief. He then noted Shirley's soaked uniform, which was now strongly giving off the smell of alcohol. "It seems like you need to wash up again."

"Both of you need to go to the bathroom to shower right now," Milly remarked, laughing at them. "As the student council president, I will not tolerate any dirty students during dinner time," she joked as she pulled them to their feet and pushed them outside of the function room.

"Hang on, Milly, I need to get my spare clothes first!" Shirley protested as she was practically shoved out of the room by the taller, older female.

"I'll bring some for you, don't worry," Milly promised. "Now, off you go," she waved cheerfully at the liquor-drenched pair as they trudged away to the bathroom.

* * *

Shirley closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of warm water on her skin before she adjusted the tap. The shower head sputtered to a stop and she drew the shower curtains, stepping out of the tub. The water droplets on her skin glistened and she shivered briefly from the coolness of the bathroom before grabbing a large yellow towel and began drying her slender, toned legs.

As Shirley wiped herself dry, she could not help but reflect on the events of today and flinched at how ungainly she was today. She committed blunder after blunder, being more of a hindrance than a help – and to make matters worse, Lelouch did not seem pleased with her at all. She had never felt so abashed in her life before, and she felt the desire to apologise to Lelouch rise again. _"I didn't do it intentionally though. And I already apologized many times,"_ Shirley thought defensively. _"But still… what if he's secretly angry with me? Or he might think I'm an incapable bum?"_

Shirley frowned, perplexed at why she would be so concerned over what Lelouch thought about her. Without warning, Sophie's past words to her echoed in her head, " _…I shall not interrupt the time of you two lovebirds…"_ Shirley started, shaking her head to dispel such thoughts. Surely she was not attracted to him, of all people! " _I mean, he's kinda cute… and definitely good looking, but he can be so arrogant sometimes!"_ Shirley argued with herself. She made to towel her auburn hair dry while walking over to the basket that should house her clothes. Shirley leaned forward, bending down, her fingers reaching forward to fetch the clothing in the basket – only to find that they weren't there. The wooden basket was empty.

Shirley panicked momentarily. How could she go out of the bathroom without having any clothes on? She could wrap the towel around her body – but that wasn't very dignified. The redhead adolescent calmed down a little as she recalled that Milly said that she would bring her clothing. But she should have done so by now. After all, Shirley did spend quite a bit of time in the shower. " _Perhaps she's late. Or something occurred and it occupied her attention. I'll just wait here until she arrives,"_ Shirley mused as she carefully enveloped herself with the towel, warm water still dripping slightly from her hair.

* * *

"Why is Shirley taking so long? The food's getting cold," Rivalz bemoaned, eyeing the mouthwatering plates of food. His stomach rumbled loudly. "I know that girls can take a long time in the shower, but it already has been an hour!"

"You shouldn't have asked Suzaku to fetch the champagne for you, Rivalz," Nunnally chided, frowning in disapproval at her brother's friend. "School rules _are_ rules, after all."

"Not you too, Nunnally", Rivalz groaned and he turned to Milly. "Say, do you have any idea why Shirley's taking such a long time in the shower? Lelouch only took ten minutes!"

"I might have an idea," Milly smirked, stifling a giggle. "I'm honestly surprised that she lasted this long. You see, I didn't bring her any clothes, unlike what I promised. I can't wait to see the expression on her-"

"PRESIDENT!" a high-pitched voice screamed in frustration as the doors slid open. The scream drew the attention of everyone in the room, but Lelouch and Suzaku, upon seeing the source of the shriek, immediately averted their eyes, coughing awkwardly.

It was Shirley, who looked extremely indignant as she scowled at Milly. She only had a bath towel wrapped tightly around her lithe form, her orange hair still damp from the shower. One hand was balled into a fist while the other clutched at the towel firmly to ensure that it would not loosen.

Milly burst out laughing the moment she spotted Shirley clad only in the yellow bath towel. "It's _not_ funny, Prez!" Shirley protested angrily, still glaring at the blonde reproachfully. She had to run all the way from the bathroom to the function room in fear of being seen.

"You're impressive," the student council president remarked nonchalantly, her blue eyes sweeping Shirley head to toe, giving her a thorough once-over.

"What do you mean?!"

"You have a pretty good figure. You're filling out nicely on the top and bottom, aren't you?" Milly commented cheekily, as she continued to eye Shirley's figure admiringly. The towel clung tightly to Shirley, which displayed her form very clearly.

"Y-You pervert!" Shirley accused the older girl shrilly, scandalized. Her face was now the shade of a deep, burning crimson and she folded her arms over her body. Milly went into another a fit of hysterical giggling, and even Rivalz chuckled.

"That's enough," a new voice entered the ruckus. Kallen rose to her feet, shooting Milly a disgruntled look as she walked over to Shirley. "I'll bring you some clothes, Shirley. Follow me," she said kindly as she motioned Shirley to follow her, and the two redheads exited the clubhouse, bringing the commotion to an abrupt end.

* * *

 ** _Several weeks later…_**

Jeremiah stalked through the corridors of Omotensado Mall, observing the shoppers carefully. Several days have passed since he had arrived in Area 11 to search for Lelouch and Nunnally, and while he commenced his mission the very moment he set foot in the colony, he has met nothing but failure so far.

The Margrave made a trip to the Kururugi Shrine on his first day, but there was no sign of human life in there, let alone the exiled prince and princess. The shrine was clearly deserted a few years ago – perhaps shortly after Britannia won the war. The musty smell, combined with the cobwebs and dust-coated floorboards were strong indicators of its abandonment. Jeremiah then went to investigate places related to the Kururugi family, after all, they were the ones who hosted Lelouch and Nunnally during their exile, but once more came up with nothing. Since then, he resorted to asking passers-by with a photo of Lelouch and Nunnally when they were little and living in Britannia. He was careful not to divulge that the two children in the picture are of royalty.

Jeremiah groaned and adjusted the collar of his once-crisp military uniform wearily. He doubted that asking random people would bear fruit, but he had little choice. This time, he was scouting around Omotensado Mall, which is a fairly popular place for people around the age of the eleventh prince and princess. The possibility of bumping into them here were extremely minimal at best, hence Jeremiah decided to ask the adolescents in the area with the hopes that one of them would recognize Lelouch or Nunnally in his photograph, regardless of how slight his chances are.

As he made his third round around the shopping mall, he noticed a gaggle of schoolgirls chatting animatedly among themselves, in the midst of leaving a clothing shop. Jeremiah pretended to glance at them casually; in reality he was keeping a keen eye for any bit of clue that would lead him to his targets. The golden, gleaming symbol on the school uniform caught his eye and he frowned, there was something about the symbol that jogged his memory. After a moment or two of pondering, it hit him – it was the Ashford family coat of arms! " _And wasn't the Ashford family backing Empress Marianne and her children before falling from grace after her assassination? Perhaps they would know something about Lelouch or Nunnally?"_ Jeremiah thought excitedly.

Confidence renewed, Jeremiah hastened towards them, calling out in a deep, booming voice. "Excuse me, ladies! May I have a moment of your time?" He watched as the group of schoolgirls halted and turned, many eyeing the Margrave with confusion and curiosity.

"Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald," Jeremiah began, bowing slightly before rummaging in his overcoat's inner pockets and produced a pair of photographs. "I would like to know if you recognize any of these two children here. They should be around your age by now," the nobleman held the photographs for the girls to see.

"Sophie Wood," a girl in the middle with lilac hair past her shoulders, introduced calmly. She then scrutinized the two pictures for nearly half a minute and murmured, "They sure do look very familiar… but I can't quite place them…" The schoolgirl glanced questioningly at her group of friends.

"Wait a moment," one of them piped up, narrowing her eyes at the photographs. "They kinda look like Lelouch… and his sister to me…" her voice trailed off speculatively, as though a little unsure of herself. However, at the mention of the name 'Lelouch', Jeremiah seized the hint.

"Yes, that's Lelouch!" the Margrave almost yelled in his enthusiasm before he regained control of his emotions. "Do you know where they are right now? This is a serious matter," Jeremiah urged, his eyes gleaming with exhilaration.

"Umm… he's my classmate," Sophie answered warily. She wasn't sure why this distinguished-looking noble was searching for arguably the most popular student on campus and his crippled sister, but it wasn't her concern. "He's staying at Ashford Academy as well, with his sister, if I'm not wrong".

"Thank you very much, ladies," Jeremiah beamed at them in a buoyant manner. The nobleman could scarcely believe his luck. "Now if you excuse me, I have business to attend to." With that, Jeremiah brushed past them, almost breaking out into an all-out sprint as he set out to find the eleventh prince and his sister. He would not let them down this time.

He would not allow it.

* * *

Author's Note: And we get the ball rolling! Yes, Charles is a little 'nicer' in this story but I felt it was reasonable for him as long as he doesn't show it openly. And yes, I took the name 'The Sword of Akasha' from Code Geass itself but made it into an organization instead. Partly because I can't think of what to name it and it's related to Victor (V.V.). Further details on this syndicate will be given next chapter.

Once again, I hope that you readers had enjoyed this chapter. Let me know your thoughts, if you have any.


	5. The Bodyguard from the Past

Author's Note: I love the reviews, guys. It helps motivate me to continue writing. Keep them coming in.

I really wish I can reply to guest reviews via PM, but I guess this will have to do.

Shout-out to Hal for pointing out my errors in my first chapter (it's rather embarrassing for me, a new fanfic author, to have an error-filled first chapter) and for the encouragement! Yes, the number of Lelouch/Shirley stories (excluding one shots and incomplete works) are rather small, which is one reason why I was motivated to try my hand at writing one of my own. I do hope it will turn out well.

Shout-out to KK as well for your words of encouragement. I hope that this story is really to your liking so far. Regarding your review of my third chapter, yes, I agree that the Ragnarok Connection was the reason why Charles never seemed too concerned about his children. They could all be 'together' once it succeeds. However, in the AU there's no ragnarok connection so Charles kills off Victor (or V.V.) for assassinating Marianne. No tears for that him though.

And of course, thank you readers and other reviewers! I think I've thanked the reviewers with registered accounts via private message already, but nonetheless I would still like to express my gratitude again. It's so heartening.

 **Most importantly,** just a word of warning, this chapter introduces a huge chunk of the AU so it's rather wordy. I might have gotten a little carried away here. Hope it doesn't seem like one whole bunch of rambling nonsense. Wish you guys will enjoy this chapter regardless.

* * *

 **Chapter 5**  
 **The Bodyguard from the Past**

"Wake up, wake up!" Milly chanted, smacking Lelouch's head repeatedly with a roll of paper. Lelouch, who was sleeping soundly, woke up instantly.

"What is it? I was having a good nap," Lelouch grumbled mutinously. Shirley shot the vice-president a disapproving look. Months had passed since the wacky council dinner and it was time for a new school year. As time passed, Shirley grew closer to the student council members – Lelouch in particular, as they have spent many times having fun and organizing and holding eccentric events, all of which are to Milly's taste.

Shirley also found herself interacting with and approaching the dark-haired teenager more, be it for homework discussion, school projects, student council issues and planning or just silly bickering in general. Sometimes, she wondered whether she really fancied him, and then thought why on earth she would take a liking to him. Was it his easy-going way of doing things, or his dashing good looks? Perhaps it could be his charisma or simply her desire to know him better somehow evolving into fondness? Nonetheless she was highly critical of his gambling activities and extremely laid-back behaviour, and the lithe orange-haired girl was adamant about maintaining that stance. _"Oh, if only Lulu was more sensible!"_ was an increasingly frequent line of thought for a wishful Shirley.

Currently, the entire student council was gathered in the student council room, planning the annual Ashford Academy school festival. All of them, save Nina – who elected to settle down in the far corner of the room, were seated around a long wooden rectangular table. Mountains of paperwork awaited the disgruntled student council members, most of them shooting the overflowing piles of documents worried stares or resentful looks. They have spent close to two hours trying to sort out the paperwork, but the amount of work seemed endless to them, which made the council members grouchy.

"Napping isn't allowed when the school festival is only four days away!" Milly answered, frowning at her subordinate in annoyance. _"Couldn't the vice-president be more serious about his duties?"_ Milly groused in her mind as she took another swing at Lelouch with the paper roll, who promptly ducked. Usually she wouldn't be so uptight about council tasks, but the school festival was an extremely big event to plan and hence she could not help but be peeved at Lelouch for slacking.

"There's a lot of work to be done, Lulu," Shirley chided, waving her pen subconsciously at Lelouch. "Don't attempt to skive by sleeping". Milly laughed a little at Shirley admonishing Lelouch, which was becoming a common occurrence during student council meetings. The auburn-haired teenager then switched her attention to the council president. "And prez, you really should have informed us about the deadline earlier, now there's so much work to do in so little time", Shirley said crossly.

"You're fretting a lot over a festival, in which your only role is serve drinks in your swimsuit in the swim club's café," Lelouch smirked, taking a playful dig at his classmate. Despite his frivolous demeanor, the large amount of work to be done was getting to him and he eagerly seized a chance to unwind and lighten up the mood of the student council simultaneously, even if that meant silly, albeit good-hearted, banter.

"It's a hardworking job!" Shirley defended, her cheeks coloring slightly.

"You can't make fun of her when your job is just to toss oversized pizza dough in a machine, oh-so-useful vice-president," Kallen added smugly.

"At least it's a more respectable role, and a more important one, than playing as some monster in the haunted house!" Lelouch retorted. "All you do is spring out and scream to scare hapless couples."

"Hey, you're the one who assigned me that role!"

"Well… that was the only role available for you, since you said you can't move about much…"

"Why you-!"

"Alright, cease this bickering," Milly ordered in the most authoritative voice she could muster. "Evening is coming soon, and that stack of paperwork isn't going to sort out itself. Back to work, people!" With that, the entire student council relapsed back to their sulky moods as they resumed their duties.

* * *

Jeremiah paused as he eyed the extravagant school in front of him. Ashford Academy was founded by Ruben K. Ashford of the once-noble Ashford family shortly after Japan was conquered by Britannia and became Area 11. The Margrave berated himself for not thinking of Ashford Academy earlier – it was fairly well-known that the Ashford family supported Marianne and her children, which was the reason why they were disgraced after her assassination. Thus, it was rather obvious that Lelouch would seek refuge with the Ashford family.

Jeremiah strode purposefully into the school through its main gates, his crisp knightly attire drawing curious glances from milling students in the academy's courtyard. He was about to commence his search for the eleventh prince, then he realized that he had no idea where to start. Perhaps he should ask the headmaster or simply approach some students like before.

A middle-aged weedy man with grey hair and clutching a thick textbook caught Jeremiah's eye and he hastened towards him. "Excuse me, mister!" Jeremiah called out as he jogged over. "Are you a teacher around here?"

"Yes, I am," the scrawny older male wheezed as he regarded Jeremiah, noting his choice of attire with mild wariness. "How can I help you?"

"I was hoping that you could help me locate this student," the nobleman reached into his coat's pockets and produced the same picture of Lelouch he had shown the gaggle of girls a few days ago before showing it to the professor. "His name is Lelouch, if I am not wrong."

"You're looking for him too? You and half of the academy's girls," the teacher complained audibly. "I heard from his friends that he has something to attend to, regarding the Ashford school festival. You might be able to find him in the student council room. It's in the building next to the one with the headmaster's office."

"Thank you very much, good sir!" Jeremiah could scarcely believe his luck. It seems that the weeks he had spent searching for the eleventh prince and his younger sister has finally paid off. The Margrave turned sharply and marched swiftly to find his liege. He wondered if Lelouch would recognize him from his time as a royal guard in the Aries villa…

* * *

Shirley stifled a yawn and stretched her arms upwards. The other student council members showed similar signs of fatigue as well, Suzaku rubbed his eyes wearily and Rivalz slumped against his chair. Lelouch, predictably, was nodding off again.

Milly was about to open her mouth to rebuke them again when she looked at the clock. It was already late in the evening, the setting sun casting a dim orange glow in the council room. Furthermore, her subordinates were clearly tired and more than half of the work has been done. The blonde decided to go soft on them after a day of hard work. "Okay guys, we shall call it a day here. Thank you all for your contributions today! We shall continue tomorrow after classes," Milly announced loudly, causing both Rivalz and Lelouch to jerk up in their seats.

"Thanks, prez," Shirley smiled as she shuffled the pile of papers in front of her into a neat stack before she collected her school bag. The other council members were already getting up and leaving, muttering inaudibly under their breath as they trudged out of the room. Shirley glanced at Lelouch, who made no attempt to leave the room, which surprised her since he looked particularly tired today.

As though reading her mind, Lelouch gestured at a slip of paper laid out in front of him. He smiled at her and said, "I'll just stay to finish this bit of work. I rather not have my train of thought interrupted. It won't take longer than five minutes at most. See you tomorrow at class, Shirley."

"Oh. See you tomorrow, Lulu," Shirley hesitated. She actually wanted to talk to Lelouch for a while, regarding her concerns about the student school festival. However, if he was staying for a while to concentrate on finishing his last bit of work for the day, she felt obliged to leave him be, at least until he completed his work. _"Maybe I should look for him here five minutes later,"_ Shirley pondered as she turned and exited the council room, leaving the prince-in-hiding alone.

Lelouch leaned over as he wrote on the slip of paper, his handwriting untidy as he scribbled furiously in annoyance. The clock's mechanical hands ticked loudly in the silence of the council room. "The science club requesting for another budget raise for this festival…" Lelouch muttered, glaring at the paper's contents. He wondered whether he should approve of the budget increase – Milly would have his hide if he kept giving additional budgets to the student clubs. Suddenly, the door slid open and a couple of firm footsteps echoed throughout the room.

"Lelouch?" the new arrival asked. His voice was deep, perhaps a mature male, and vaguely familiar to Lelouch for some reason. His tone was respectful and contained a slight hint of doubt and hope.

"Yes?" Lelouch sighed in frustration. He was unhappy that his thoughts were disrupted again. He had his back to the door, thus he was unable to see who had entered. The prince shifted in his seat, craning his neck to see who the newcomer was, and he froze.

Standing before Lelouch was a tall male with short dark green hair. His orange eyes shone with determination as he gazed into Lelouch's amethyst ones. But the feature that caught Lelouch's attention the most was the stranger's attire, it was instantly recognizable as a military uniform, complete with the coat of arms of the Holy Britannian Empire. In short, he was a Britannian military officer, possibly a knight or someone of a higher status.

Lelouch leapt out of his chair, a rare display of physical exertion from him and he stared at Jeremiah in consternation. A thousand thoughts flooded into Lelouch's mind as he was sent into a momentary panic. _"Is he a Britannian knight? How did he find us? Did the Ashfords sell us out? Is he going to capture us and drag us back to Britannia? Or is he going to kill us? Perhaps he's an assassin sent by my mother's murderers, or even the Emperor?!"_

"I have been searching for you for months, Your Highness," Jeremiah began and took another step forward. Out of the blue, his expression shifted, a variety of strong emotions showing on his face - elation, guilt, sorrow and relief and he went down on one knee. "My liege… I have found you at long last. Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald, at your service!"

Lelouch gaped at the Britannian nobleman in confusion. Before the surprised prince could think of a response – whether to acknowledge the nobleman, attempt to knock him out and flee, taking Nunnally with him or try to bluff his way out somehow, the door opened again. To Lelouch's dismay, it was someone much more familiar than the Margrave kneeling before him.

"Hi Lulu, are you done-", Shirley stopped and she blinked, flabbergasted at the scene. Jeremiah maintained his position of submission before Lelouch, although he did turn around to see who had entered the room. Shirley did not recognize the person, who was kneeling in front of her classmate for some unknown reason.

There was a brief moment of silence before Lelouch sprang into action, grabbing Jeremiah by his upper arm with all the strength he could muster and tried to pull him to his feet, to little avail. "Get up," Lelouch hissed under his breath insistently, glaring at Jeremiah. The bewildered nobleman quietly complied and he rose to his feet swiftly, towering over the two teenagers.

"He's a family friend of mine," Lelouch forced a grin onto his face, the cause of Shirley's astonishment quite apparent. He sought to find an appropriate excuse for Jeremiah's kneeling and hastily came up with one. "He was just tying his bootlaces when you came in, Shirley. His name is Jeremiah…" his voice trailed off and he shot the Margrave a glare.

"Gottwald," Jeremiah completed, catching onto Lelouch's plan. Whatever reason the young prince had for masking their identities, he did not have the right to question it and he respected the younger man greatly. Shirley's eyes flickered downwards at Jeremiah's boots. Only then did Lelouch realize there was one major flaw in his exuse. Jeremiah's boots were without laces. Both males tried not to grimace openly when they noticed the obvious error.

"Oh. Nice to meet you, Mr. Gottwald. I'm Shirley," Shirley's lips tugged upwards, trying to make a smile despite her confusion. There was more than a hint of doubt in Shirley's voice, but thankfully she let the obvious fib slide past, much to the relief of the two males. Jeremiah nodded politely towards the adolescent girl. She was attractive for her age in his eyes, but he dismissed such thoughts. He came here to retrieve Lelouch and Nunnally, not to admire women more than a decade younger than him.

"How can I help you, Shirley?" Lelouch stepped forward urgently, trying to ignore Jeremiah. He wanted anyone associated with Lelouch Lamperouge – the false him, to be gone while he dealt with problems with his past as Lelouch vi Britannia. It was to keep his and Nunnally's identities a secret and lives safe. While he highly doubted that Shirley would somehow pose a danger to him or Nunnally, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Lulu," Shirley apologized meekly as she stammered slightly. "I-I just wanted to talk with you for a bit. I'm a little worried about the school festival."

"Ah," Lelouch's facial features softened a little. "Well, I might be a bit busy over here," the dark-haired teenager jerked his thumb at Jeremiah. "I promise I'll tend to you later. How does half an hour later outside your dorm room sound?"

"That's great! I'll see you there later then," Shirley gushed and glanced at Jeremiah, who was patiently waiting in the corner and nodded at her in understanding. "Sorry!" she repeated as she took several steps backwards, exiting the room and sliding the door shut before returning to her room.

Lelouch exhaled and glowered at Jeremiah the moment Shirley's footsteps faded away. "So, what does the Emperor want now?" Lelouch growled. He did not see any point in denying his identity anymore, he made the mistake of responding when his name was called. Furthermore, Jeremiah was larger than him and likely combat trained, and Lelouch was dismal in physical combat, so fighting the Margrave was out of the question.

"Your Highness," Jeremiah addressed Lelouch respectfully, bowing a little. "Your father, the Emperor, wishes to have you and Princess Nunnally back in the homeland. He wishes me to emphasize that Britannia is your home, Your Highness. It is where you belong-"

"Where I belong?" Lelouch barked harshly. He started laughing, softly at first, and then it grew in volume and hysteria. Lelouch doubled up with maniacal laughter,, which echoed eerily through the room. "The Empire, ruled by the man who did not lift a finger when my mother was _murdered,_ abandoned me, _and_ abandoned Nunnally, and left us to _die_ , is the place where I belong?!" Lelouch's eyes glinted with loathing, and everything bitter, everything he _hated_ about his past came pouring forth like blood from an open wound.

"I've yet to hear a better joke, Margrave Gottwald!" Lelouch sneered, his voice dripping heavily with sarcasm. "And you can tell my father that I will never return to Britannia! Nunnally and I-", Lelouch's voice broke and he gulped, his tone getting more emotional as he resumed. "Nunnally and I are happier here. We will not return to the nation ruled by that hypocrite of a man, who could not even be bothered about the death of his own wife and empress!"

"That's where you are wrong, Your Highness," Jeremiah cut in, his face stricken. "Forgive me for my interruption, but the perpetrators behind Lady Marianne's murder were found guilty five months ago. All of them were executed, by the order of the Britannian Emperor."

Jeremiah's revelation immediately brought Lelouch up short. "Come again?" Lelouch asked breathlessly, his eyes wide with stupefaction. He could not believe his ears. After all these years, could Charles have finally fulfilled his promise?

"The assassins and conspirers behind Lady Marianne's murder were captured and executed", Jeremiah repeated. "They were from an organization known as the Sword of Akasha." There was a momentary pause.

"I've heard of them before, but only a little. Explain." Lelouch demanded, frowning, as the name was vaguely familar to him. His amethyst eyes flickered over to the Margrave, who nodded quietly.

"They were an elite group of bodyguards formed by the grandfather of the current Emperor, Uther al Britannia. Their initial purpose was to guard Uther and his wife, Akasha. Most of its members back then were distinguished nobles who rose to power through their prowess, although some have relations to the Britannian royalty. However, their pride led them to practice hereditary roles – their offspring would be able to join the Sword of Akasha regardless of merit or ability. For decades, they were able to enjoy special privileges and lorded over the lesser nobility and commoners". The nobleman paused to catch his breath and cleared his throat.

"Sixty-five years later, the organization was disbanded by Charles zi Britannia shortly after he ascended the throne, for he feared that their hereditary practice would mean inept bodyguards when they were supposed to be the elite," Jeremiah resumed. "Additionally, their growing prejudice against ordinary folks and lower-ranked nobles was well-known and it caused friction. Of course, the nobles weren't happy about it, but they were kept content by Charles zi Britannia's aggressive campaigns against Europia and the Chinese Federation, which meant more land, more resources and more riches for them." Lelouch debated interrupting, but he let Jeremiah go on.

"However, the Sword of Akasha members weren't so easy to please," Jeremiah continued quietly." They stuck together despite Charles's public abolishment and frequently carried out terrorist attacks against his regime. Eleven years after Charles's ascension, they made a daring attempt to assassinate Lady Marianne and her children, for she was a commoner and that made you and your sister of common descent. It was… impure in the eyes of the Sword of Akasha members, who firmly believed that royal and noble blood should be kept separate from commoners. The Emperor, of course, didn't believe in that and after seven years of investigating, the key members and leaders of the Sword of Akasha were identified and executed. The ringleader was none other than Victor zi Britannia, elder brother of Emperor Charles."

"I didn't hear any of this on the news," Lelouch murmured as he tried to digest this new information. He didn't have much memories of his uncle, Victor, as he had only saw him once during one of the rare times he managed to see his father.

"It was kept quiet. Only the Emperor and the other royals know," Jeremiah hastily replied. "The Emperor didn't want to draw attention to the fact that Lady Marianne's children are still exiled to this day."

"So I'm forgotten then. Perhaps that is for the best," Lelouch laughed humourlessly and he slumped into a chair heavily. "How would you explain that the Emperor attacked Japan, when he was the one who sent us there to hide safely in the first place?" Lelouch challenged Jeremiah, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared demandingly at the noble for a satisfactory response. "And how would Britannia be safe for us? Only the leaders have been executed, and they can be replaced easily. The Sword of Akasha can return."

"The Sword of Akasha, as mentioned earlier, Your Highness, are made up of nobles who inherited the roles regardless of their capabilities. Over the past generations, they have degenerated to a bunch of lazy rogues, content to sit in their chairs, twiddling their thumbs while they profit from their positions and the results that the organization brought. Only the leaders back then were competent and the driving force of the syndicate. Without them, they would be running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Amateurish, helpless and inefficient. Furthermore, whatever competent members they had were slain during their assault on the Aries Villa. And all the chiefs have been arrested and killed. Of course, Emperor Charles is not satisfied with just executing the key leaders. He seeks to arrest the other members as well. Incapable or not, they're still a threat. He estimates that they will be fully exterminated by next year."

"Why should I believe all this? I need proof."

"I understand," Jeremiah bowed as he reached inside his coat, retrieving a stack of papers. He passed it to the waiting prince's hands. "This is a report on the Sword of Akasha and the members charged with Marianne's murder. It is signed by the Emperor himself, Crown Prince Odysseus eu Britannia, Second Prince and Prime Minister Schneizel el Britannia, Second Princess Cornelia li Britannia and Third Princess Euphemia li Britannia."

"Euphemia?" Lelouch questioned as he took the report from Jeremiah and flipped through the pages, his eyes darting as he rapidly skimmed through its contents. The royal seals and signatures of the members of royalty Jeremiah mentioned were there, alright. He did not trust the Emperor or the inept Odysseus, but he had faith in Cornelia and to a lesser degree, Euphemia, as the latter was too naïve in his own opinion. Lelouch placed the report on the table and made a note to himself to peruse it later.

"As for the war against Japan, I assume you are familiar with the Oriental incident", Jeremiah said, his heart lifting a little after Lelouch appeared to calm down. "Japan had long maintained a neutral position towards Europia, Britannia and the Chinese Federation. However, they aligned their sakuradite policies against Britannia to force the Empire to negotiate with the other superpowers, a year after your exile. The Britannian Emperor faced immense pressure from his military and political advisors to conquer Japan, for he had no intention of negotiating with the other superpowers. It would look suspicious if he resisted the pressure from them, as it is most unlike Britannia, which is well-known for their aggression against other nations. The Sword of Akasha members, who were still uncaptured back then, may take it as a sign that you and Princess Nunnally were sent there, since Charles never mentioned the place where you two were exiled to. To quote the Emperor, the best and only course of action was to invade Japan and pray that both of you survive."

"How callous. And he calls himself our father," Lelouch remarked snidely, although he finally gained a better understanding of his father's point of view. "If he really cared about us, he would retrieve us or send us to another location before the war broke out."

"It was too risky to send out any messengers overseas for fear of interception," Jeremiah pointed out. "The Emperor was quite… paranoid back then."

Lelouch sighed and he massaged his temples with his hand slowly. There was a moment or two of silence as the prince struggled to take in this information "So that scoundrel might have managed to deliver his promise, in a way, after all", Lelouch chuckled wryly after a while.

"Would you come back to the homeland, Your Highness?" Jeremiah pressed on eagerly, ignoring the fact that the eleventh prince just casually insulted the Britannian emperor. "The Emperor would be most pleased to have you and Princess Nunnally back."

"I suppose I can't refuse, could I?" Lelouch enquired, daring to hope, although he already knew the answer.

Jeremiah shook his head. "The Emperor would prefer it if you came back on your own terms, but he has made it an order. This means that I have the authority to subdue you if necessary." He paused for a while, before adding, "Please don't let me do that, Your Highness. I have a lot of respect for you, and I would prefer not to use force even if it's the Emperor's orders. So what is your answer?"

"Subdue? That just shows how insensitive that imbecile is. As for your question... I'm not sure," Lelouch admitted, shaking his head. "I cannot give a definite answer right now, Margrave Gottwald," Lelouch glanced at the windows of the council room, looking at Ashford Academy with a slightly wistful look.

"Is it because of her?" Jeremiah enquired, a curious smile playing on his lips.

"Who?" Lelouch asked absent mindedly as he twirled one of his raven locks, still looking at the academy before him.

"That girl from earlier. Shirley," Jeremiah replied, in a matter-of-fact tone. "She's your girlfriend, isn't she, Your Highness? Both of you seem rather close. Is that why you're reluctant to leave?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Lelouch snapped in annoyance, though he felt a faint stir in his heart. "She isn't my girlfriend". Lelouch fell into silence for a while as he continued thinking about the current situation. _"Nunnally and I can finally return to the homeland… but it won't be as happy as the times before the assassination."_

"Margrave Gottwald," Lelouch spoke steadily, looking at Jeremiah. Fierce amethyst eyes met resolute orange ones. "I cannot give you a definite answer yet. But I will consider this after I pursue the report you gave me. This requires me to meditate over it for a very long time." It was half-truth, as Lelouch preferred him and Nunnally to remain in Area 11, away from the Britannian royalty and possible assassins. His statement was nothing more than a delaying tactic to buy him more time to think. "And I must complete my studies here at Ashford Academy," Lelouch added as an afterthought.

"I will relay this to the Emperor later, Your Highness," Jeremiah nodded in understanding.

"Very well. You are dismissed," Lelouch replied as he continued to muse over his situation. He then noticed that Jeremiah did not move an inch. "I said you are dismissed, Margrave," Lelouch repeated, infusing his voice with authority.

"I'm afraid that I cannot obey that, Your Highness," Jeremiah returned dourly. "The Emperor foresaw such a possible situation. His orders were that if you are not to return to Britannia immediately, I am to be your guardian and bodyguard until you return to the homeland."

"Afraid that I will try to escape, isn't he?" Lelouch mocked and shook his head. How typical of the Britannian Emperor to be distrustful of even his own children. "Well, if that's the case, you need to have some sort of alias or fake job. You can't be drawing attention to me or Nunnally. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Your Highness", Jeremiah saluted sharply. "I'm sure that I can arrange something with ex-Duke Ruben Ashford. He is sheltering you and Princess Nunnally and is aware of your identities as royalty, am I right?"

"That is correct," Lelouch sighed and he looked up at the clock. It was close to thirty minutes since Shirley inadvertently stumbled upon them. "Now go and have a word with him now. Once you're done, report to me at the student clubhouse residential area. Right now, I need to attend to Shirley".

"Yes, Your Highness. Please don't leave your girlfriend waiting," Jeremiah quipped, allowing his stern demeanour to slip a little after he was done with bringing Lelouch up to speed.

"For the last time, Margrave Gottwald, we're not a couple!" Lelouch insisted, his eyes narrowing dangerously at Jeremiah. "One more time, and the first thing I'd do if I return to Britannia is to demote you to a peasant working at an orange farm!"

* * *

 ** _Three Days Later, Ashford Academy Swimming Complex_**

"That's enough of swimming practice today!" the voice of the new swimming instructor, Villetta Nu, rang out. Shirley groaned in exhaustion as she pulled herself out of the swimming pool, water sloshing around her feet as she hauled herself to her feet. She was, of course, clad in the Ashford Academy swimsuit, which was a dark blue one-piece swimsuit complete with white narrows stripes along the sides. Her legs were aching severely from the vigorous practice. Normally Shirley wouldn't push herself so hard during swim club sessions, but she was selected as one of the eight participants in the swimming competition for the school festival, which was only a day away. Additionally, the new swimming instructor was sterner compared to the old one.

Shirley wondered what happened to the previous swimming instructor, Mrs. Clarison. The new instructor, Villetta Nu, suddenly replaced her two days ago. She was slender and slightly taller than Shirley, and had tanned, darker skin, long bluish hair with yellow eyes. She was unique in the sense that she had a military-esque feel – on her first day, Villetta admitted that she served some time in the Britannian armed forces. Coach Villetta was definitely strict, but amusingly, she seemed to be unable to effectively handle a group of active chattering teenage girls.

"Alright, gather round!" Villetta shouted, waving her arms to gather the swim club members. Shirley tried not to wince as she walked over, her thighs throbbing with pain. It nearly took two minutes for the milling students to finally assemble quietly before their new head of the swim club. "I was just notified that the school festival is tomorrow", Villetta began, looking at the swim club members steadily. "What does the swim club plan for the festival other than the swimming competition?"

"We planned to have a swim club café," a brunette, whose name Shirley could not remember no matter how hard she tried, answered. "We are to serve as waitresses in our swimsuits at the café. The culinary club agreed to provide us food and drinks."

"I think it might not appeal to everyone, though," Sophie piped up. "There's going to be visitors not only from Ashford but the public as well". There were murmuring voices behind her in assent.

"Does anyone have more ideas, then? Perhaps I would be able to help, somehow," Villetta asked as she raised her eyebrow questioningly. Only silence greeted her and the swim club members traded uneasy glances, nudging each other.

"I might have one, coach Villetta," Shirley suggested, raising her hand. She felt the eyes of all the swim club members on her and she tried not to feel small. "Since most of us are only teenagers, perhaps you could join us as a waitress as well as a grown-up, maybe with different attire. I think we have some… unique swimwear in the storage".

"Oh yes!" a new voice chirped in. "We definitely have some _unique_ swimwear for such occasions. I think it would fit coach Villetta very nicely! Think of it, we would have pretty young girls to sexy grown-up women. It's great, isn't it?" This statement was quickly met with wild applause and more than one swim club member smiled mischievously at their new coach.

"Um… I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with that…" Villetta shifted uncomfortably, her heart sinking a little as she witnessed more than one swim club member nodding among themselves excitedly. Villetta was a secret agent and a former royal guard sent by the Emperor to help Margrave Gottwald keep an eye on Lelouch vi Britannia. She served alongside Jeremiah when they were both knights as Empress Marianne's royal guard and was awarded the rank of Baroness for her role in defending Marianne's children during the Sword of Akasha's assassination attempt. While Villetta was told that she might have to put up with some quirkiness from the students in her new job, particularly from the student council president, she did not have a good feeling about this.

"That's great!" Shirley said happily. "Shall we go with that idea?"

"Yes!" The voices in agreement grew to a clamour, quickly overwhelming the hapless coach. Villetta groaned inwardly and closed her eyes, counting to ten calmly before opening them.

"Fine," Villetta sighed in defeat. "How does the so-called special swim wear look like?"

"I got it!" someone yelled and ran up to Villetta, showing her the scanty swimwear. Villetta's eyes widened with incredulity.

"You can't be serious!" Villetta protested, eyeing the revealing swim suit with a mixture of horror plain on her face. "I can't be wearing this!"

"Come on, coach! You said fine!" Shirley pleaded, giving Villetta the puppy dog eyes.

 _"Shirley… I'll get back at you for this. If only I didn't have to play teacher for this mission"_ , Villetta thought irately as the other swim club members insisted with the plan and chanted loudly, drowning Villetta's objections. _"I'll get back at you for this… just you wait!"_

* * *

Author's Note: Not to worry, Villetta's 'revenge' is nothing too serious. It will be light-hearted and ridiculous. Embarrassing at most. Please do let me know what you guys think, especially about the scene between Lelouch and Jeremiah.


	6. School Festival!

Author's Note: Here we'll be looking into some of Lelouch's inner thoughts. And since it's the school festival, this chapter won't be a hundred percent serious. Have fun reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass or its characters in any way.

* * *

 **Chapter 6:**  
 **School Festival!**

"Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for!" Milly shouted excitedly into her microphone. Milly and Lelouch were in the control room of the academy as they were about to start the school festival. "The Ashford Academy school festival, the most open event in the Tokyo settlement is about to begin!" She paused for a moment before adding, "The start of the festival shall be signaled by these fireworks! 3…2…1… Let the festival begin!" she screamed as she smashed a large red button next to her gleefully, propelling the fireworks into the sky and they exploded into different colours. The students matched their council president's enthusiasm by cheering exuberantly.

"You've caused quite the ruckus, president," Lelouch commented dryly, eyeing the energetic students on the computer screens. "I can't imagine what their reactions to the twelve meter pizza would be".

"We always need a good festival now and then to loosen up, don't you agree?" Milly asked the vice-president cheerfully.

 _"Well, taking the number of festivals you throw into account, that either means that you're constantly depressed or just looking for an excuse to party. Knowing you, I'd choose the latter,"_ Lelouch thought, but did not say. Instead, he kept on an amiable smile and nodded, "Noted, president. Thanks for teaching me." Lelouch cleared his throat and straightened his back. "If you excuse me, I believe I am required to supervise the student clubs and stations around the festival."

"Don't be too stern on them," Milly called over her shoulder as Lelouch left the control room. "They're supposed to be having fun!" Lelouch did not bother to reply the overenthusiastic blonde, his mind already shifting to more serious matters. He did not leave the control room to do mundane tasks such as managing the students; he left because he needed some time to himself to think about his current situation with the Britannian Emperor.

Lelouch recalled the events of three days ago, where the faithful Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald appeared and requested him to return to Britannia. They came to a tentative agreement that Lelouch was to be given time until his graduation from Ashford, but Jeremiah insisted on accompanying the eleventh prince. As a result, Jeremiah was now staying with him and Nunnally in the student residential clubhouse.

Nunnally reacted strongly the moment Jeremiah appeared as his Britannian Military uniform was quite visible. Her blue eyes were full of confusion and a little fear. Lelouch, of course, comforted Nunnally and brought her to her own room to discuss the matter. Once Nunnally learnt of the truth, she calmed down and surprised Lelouch by exclaiming that they could finally return to the homeland. Instantly, Lelouch reminded her that there was no way they could return to the old days; their mother Marianne was dead, and that was a cold and hard fact. He had also added that he could not forgive his father, Charles zi Britannia even after gaining insight into his reasoning.

Nunnally responded by simply remarking that blood ties were undeniable and he should learn to let go of his resentment. Lelouch was incredulous – Nunnally had suffered even more than he did due to their father's negligence as she was crippled at such a young age, yet she was basically asking him to forgive their father. Nonetheless, Nunnally was fairly keen to return to Britannia to reconcile with her family, most notably her siblings, or rather half-siblings, and even Charles. Lelouch informed her that if they were going back to the homeland, he would return first to ensure that it was safe for them and expressed his desire for Nunnally to stay in the academy with Sayoko Shinozaki, an Eleven guard and master martial artist assigned to them by the Ashford's. Nunnally was understandably crestfallen, but she at least agreed to do so.

As the eleventh prince found himself on the fence, he had attempted to seek the opinion of another trusted person, his childhood friend, Kururugi Suzaku. Suzaku, however, did not share Lelouch's opinion. While he was quite understandable about Lelouch's stance against his father, he was leaning towards Nunnally's point of view. "Blood ties cannot be severed", Suzaku had pointed out back then, which was very similar to what Nunnally had said. "Like it or not, Charles is your father. You can't hate him forever." Lelouch's best friend had a strange expression on his face – was it wistfulness? Lelouch could not help but wonder if it was because Suzaku did not manage to spend enough time with his father, Kururugi Genbu, before he was reported to have committed suicide when the war ended. Suzaku also pointed out that Lelouch had little reason to hate his father anymore, for Charles had not only explained the extremely difficult situation thoroughly to his son, but also fulfilled his promise he had made seven years ago.

Lelouch argued that even if he was to somehow forgive his father, he and his sister would still be nothing but diplomatic tools of the corrupt empire if they were to return to the homeland. That was when Suzaku pointed out that he could put his talent and position as a prince to good use; to change the corrupt empire into a better one. Suzaku had even added that he'd do it if he was in Lelouch's shoes. While Lelouch was usually leery of such idealism, which resulted in him being highly skeptical of Suzaku's optimistic attitude, it did make some amount of sense, in an uncomfortable way.

While Lelouch weighed the opinions of Nunnally and Suzaku, he went on to peruse the report on the Sword of Akasha and his mother's assassination attempt given to him by Jeremiah. He spent countless of hours, trying to find a single fault, peering over at every single little detail and the prince was forced to conclude that what Jeremiah had told him was true. Lelouch, like his father, was confident of the Sword of Akasha's collapse after the elimination of their leaders, and the remaining members were more than lacking in terms of capability. His elder half-brother, Schneizel el Britannia, and elder half-sister, Cornelia li Britannia, were placed in charge of exterminating the Sword of Akasha, and Lelouch knew that both of them were extremely competent in such matters. Of course, being a member of royalty still meant that a few people will still be out for your blood, but Lelouch could rest easier knowing that the culprits who killed his mother and sought to do the same to him and Nunnally will be utterly eradicated by the time he returned to Britannia, if he chose to do so. In short, not only Nunnally and Suzaku are influencing him to return, but the analytical part of his mind agreed with the idea of returning to an extent as well. However, he remained doubtful of the wisdom in going back to the homeland.

Lelouch's feet carried him towards the booths, which were being manned by school students. The delicious smell of crepes, grilled hotdogs, deep fried chicken and freshly baked pastries wafted under his nostrils, but he paid them and his rumbling stomach no heed, his mind still focusing on his dilemma. If it was by his choice, he would instantly choose any other option but to return to Britannia. However, his faith in that option has been shaken by his dearest little sister, and he was stuck trying to conjure a solution that would please not only himself and his sister, but that damnably stubborn Jeremiah. Lelouch grimaced as he racked his brain furiously for a satisfactory conclusion, but could not come up with any.

Lelouch's musings were rudely interrupted as Rivalz ran up to him. "Hey, Lelouch, where are you headed off to?" Rivalz grinned as he dusted off his light brown apron. As Rivalz was primarily managing the setting up of the giant pizza making, Milly insisted that he should look like a chef. In addition to the apron, a toque rested on Rivalz's head, clashing horribly with his dark blue hair. In Lelouch's eyes, his friend looked nothing short of ridiculous, but he refrained from making any comments about Rivalz's appearance.

"Oh, just moving around, making sure everything's running smoothly," Lelouch replied curtly and forced a wide smile on his face, hoping to shake off Rivalz. Usually he wouldn't do such a thing – under normal circumstances he appreciated Rivalz's light-heartedness as a friend, but right now he wanted to be alone. Unfortunately, Rivalz was dismal in taking hints and today was no exception.

"That's great! Mind if I accompany you for a while?" Rivalz scuttled over to Lelouch's side. "Man, I'm tired of screaming 'Come and watch the making of the world's biggest pizza!' continuously! I need a break. Where did you say you're heading to, again?" the blue haired adolescent enquired.

"I said I was just mov- I mean, I'm going to the swim club's café," Lelouch amended his statement. If there was anything that could successfully shake Rivalz off for a while, teenage girls in swimsuits was probably high on the list.

"Really? Off to see some girls in their swim wear, eh?" Rivalz face spilt into a wide grin again as he rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining with enthusiasm.

"Please," Lelouch snorted. "I'm not like you. I'm just going to check whether they need any help. Besides, you look quite excited yourself."

"Hey, at least I'm being honest! Unlike you, vice-president."

"Shut up, Rivalz."

* * *

"You can't be serious, coach!" Shirley protested, staring at her own reflection in a mirror with horrified eyes. "I can't be wearing this!

"If I can wear something like this, that outfit is nothing," Villetta said dismissively as she gestured at her own revealing costume. Her yellow eyes gleamed with mischief. "Like I said before, it's a last resort for you. It's _so_ unlucky that your swim wear is missing _and_ the spare ones have disappeared as well, especially on such a big event like this. It's not too bad anyway. After all, your current attire is quite _unique_ after all."

Both females were in the dressing room of Ashford Academy's swimming pool. To Shirley's horror, her swimming costume was missing when she woke up. It was impossible! She was absolutely certain that she brought it back to her dormitory after swimming practice last night. The only two possible explanations were that Sophie took it – and she had no reason to, it wasn't even her size or that someone broke in and stole it. The latter was definitely weird. The thieves could have taken anything – their cellular phones, purses or jewelry and instead they took her swimsuit? Shirley was utterly nonplussed.

So the orange-haired teen went to look for Villetta. Shirley was frantic as the school festival was scheduled to start soon and she was counting on the swim club having spare swimming outfits. She would look not only out of place, but downright bland compared to the other girls. Lady luck was not on her side today, it seemed. Villetta told Shirley that the spare swimming suits were missing too and even remarked that it was quite an unfortunate coincidence. As Shirley fretted over what she should be wearing for the school festival – she couldn't even participate in the swimming competition she had trained so hard for without the appropriate attire, Villetta proposed a solution.

Unfortunately for her, Villetta's proposal definitely did not match Shirley's tastes. A hot pink bunny girl costume – its material feeling extremely flimsy under Shirley's fingers and complete with white and pink fluffy ears _definitely_ did not fit her at all. While Shirley objected fiercely, Villeta all but forced the teenager into the suit, promising her that she would look great in it. Shirley glanced at herself in the mirror and tried not to cringe. She did not know what was the coach's definition of 'great', but she suspected that it was vastly different from hers. She simply looked so _sultry_ in that outfit!

"But, coach-" Shirley began to complain again, pulling the sides of the pink attire up in an attempt to cover more of her body. She contemplated making a break for it, but her still smarting thighs, from last night's practice, protested at the thought.

"Quit whining already," Villetta ordered harshly. Personally, she was enjoying the discomfort she was putting Shirley through. It was petty and childish revenge, but it tasted oh so sweet to her. "Otherwise we'll be swapping attire, and I'll be quite happy to do so." Shirley quietened down. As revealing as the bunny suit was, Villetta's swim wear was easily worse. "Off you go. Have fun," Villetta said sweetly as she all but pushed the younger female to the exit of the dressing room.

* * *

Lelouch pushed the doors to the Ashford swimming complex wide open as he surveyed the swimming pool-turned café. Rivalz followed the council vice-president eagerly, his eyes roaming across the various students clad in their swim wear, serving the customers – a mix of students and outsiders. The café seemed to be doing very well, as it was packed with people either sitting around the tables or simply crowded around the stage, which had a number of schoolgirls and a single teacher, who was unknown to Lelouch, posing in a rather indecent manner. Lelouch pursed his lips in disapproval while Rivalz seemed quite fixated by the sight, and the dark-haired adolescent seized his chance, moving from his long-time gambling partner, hoping to lose him in the throng.

Unfortunately for Lelouch, Rivalz was not as distracted as he seemed. The moment Lelouch began to walk away, Rivalz noticed it and he was back by his side. The prince in hiding tried not to grimace, not expecting his plan to fail so quickly. "Hey!" Rivalz suddenly paused. "Is that a bunny girl I see? Holy, she's hot!" Rivalz exclaimed, his grey eyes as wide as saucers. Upon hearing Rivalz's words, Lelouch could not help but follow Rivalz's stare. His classmate wasn't seeing things, alright. There was definitely a girl, her back turned to them, clad in a hot pink bunny suit and serving customers. Lelouch frowned. He didn't recall a bunny girl being included in the swim club café. _"This is a school, for goodness's sake!"_

Lelouch then realized that the girl in question was rather familiar. There was something about the way she moved, her lithe body and the long, flowing bright orange hair that heavily reminded him of someone he knew. Then it hit him – there was only one person whom he knew that matched her physical qualities and was in the swim club. Lelouch found his feet guiding him towards her and Rivalz snickered. "I didn't know that you're into bunny girls, Lelouch!"

"That's Shirley," Lelouch's reply was curt. Rivalz's eyebrows rose so high that it nearly disappeared into whatever little of his fringe.

"That's Shirley?!" Rivalz spluttered, coughing in mild embarrassment. Now he felt rather awkward as he had just openly admired one of his friends. Lelouch did not deign to respond as he strode forward towards her, his aura of magnetism being of good use as the multitude of people parted before him. Out of the corner of his eye, Lelouch noticed Jeremiah, who was dressed in plain clothes – a nondescript polo shirt with jeans, stalking him cautiously and tried to pay the Margrave no heed. Shirley was just right in front of him now, her back still turned towards him.

Lelouch cleared his throat audibly and tapped on Shirley's shoulder, causing her to spin around in alarm. "That's a very admirable outfit, Miss Fenette," Lelouch smirked. "I wasn't aware that the swim club café decided to employ bunny girls."

"It's not my idea, Lulu! I'm forced to wear this as a last resort!" Shirley defended hotly as she folded her arms over her chest, trying to conceal whatever skin she could. She fervently hoped that her friends, especially Lelouch, wouldn't see her in the pink bunny suit. It was such an embarrassment for her to be wearing something as revealing as that!

Lelouch's smirk widened. "Sounds like an interesting story," he commented. The prince in hiding glanced upwards, above Shirley's head. "Nice bunny ears, by the way." His gaze then shifted downwards as he subsconsciously gave Shirley's figure a brief once-over.

Shirley's face turned almost the same colour as her hair and she witnessed Lelouch's eyes nonchalantly sweeping from her head to toe. _"Did he just check me out?"_ Shirley realized. She debated telling him not to ogle at her, for she was more than tired of men gaping at her, or punching his annoyingly flawless face out of a mix of indignation and shame. Before she could decide on a course of action, Villetta picked up a microphone and drummed her fingers on it, testing it and capturing the customers' attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please take note that the swimming competition is about to begin in five minutes," Villetta announced and the crowd cheered loudly. "Please sit back and enjoy the show. All participants involved in the competition, please report to the changing room. That includes you, Miss Fenette", she added, meeting Shirley's surprised gaze evenly.

"But coach, I don't have the appropriate attire-" Shirley began, her brows furrowing in confusion. There was no way she could participate in the competition with her current attire. According to Villetta, all of the spare swimming outfits were gone as well, and hence the slender youth could not see a way how she would be able to take part in the competition.

"I just found one. And it's your size!" Villetta beamed at the auburn-haired girl. The older female reached behind her and produced one of the Ashford swimming costumes seemingly out of thin air. "Now you can take part in the competition. Isn't that great?"

"You just found one?" Shirley repeated, placing her hands on her hips and narrowing her peridot green eyes suspiciously at the coach of the swimming club. The realization just struck her – Villetta might have hidden the spare swimming costumes and forced her into the bunny suit to get back at her for coming up with the idea of making the coach wear the skimpy outfit. Villetta merely looked back at her innocently, her yellow eyes unblinking as she held the swim suit in one hand.

Whatever the case, it was a fact that she had invested quite a considerable amount of time into practicing for the swimming competition. She was more than eager to take up Villetta's offer – anything to get out of the ridiculously revealing bunny outfit, and participate in the competition. Her legs tried to protest that they have yet to recover from the strenuous practice last night, but she paid them no heed. Without a word, Shirley raced towards Villetta and snatched the swim suit out of her grasp before speeding towards the changing room. Lelouch was bemused and glimpsed Rivalz immersing himself in chatting up the waitresses. Lelouch shook his head, wondering how Rivalz expected to gain Milly's approval – it was quite obvious that he was interested in the council president, if the blue-haired adolescent kept flirting with other schoolgirls so openly.

Lelouch supposed that it was a good time to leave, as he had successfully shaken off his friend, which would enable him to direct his mind towards finding a solution for his situation. However, his feet remained unmoving as he felt that something was compelling him to stay, at least for a while longer. Maybe he should take the time to unwind a little. His overwrought brain might be able to perform better if he just relaxed for a while. Lelouch exhaled and he located an unoccupied wooden table near the swimming pool before half-collapsing into an aluminum chair. Jeremiah casually strolled towards Lelouch, taking a seat at a table not far from him and ordered a drink from one of the schoolgirl-waitresses. Lelouch frowned slightly as the chair creaked loudly under Jeremiah's weight, as while Jeremiah was somewhat large, he did not appear that heavy to him. The Margrave caught Lelouch eyeing him and he grinned at his liege, which Lelouch did not return. Instead, he turned away from the nobleman, annoyed with his behaviour.

Exhilarated whooping filled the café, causing Lelouch to look up curiously as a group of eight girls emerged from the changing room, all of them wearing the Ashford swimsuit with swimming caps. Lelouch subconsciously searched the batch of swimmers for Shirley and found her nearly instantly. She adjusted the shoulder straps of her swim suit and scanned the audience, meeting Lelouch's eyes. The raven-haired male gave her a boyish grin, causing her to blush a little and look away, breaking the eye contact. Lelouch found his smile fading and he chided himself. _"What am I doing? I'm supposed to be thinking of a solution,"_ he chided himself as his mind returned to brood on the matter with Jeremiah and Charles again.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the contest is about to begin! The winner shall get this handcrafted gold trophy," Villetta declared as a couple of students carried over a huge, dazzling gold trophy with the words _"Ashford Annual Swimming Contest 2017"_ engraved on its base. "Participants, get ready," she added, looking at all eight students who were positioned before the pool's edge, most of them bent over with determined expressions of their faces. "Ready." The swimmers tensed visibly. "Get set. Go!" They dived into the swimming pool and kicked away with their legs in the freestyle stroke.

Shirley heard the audience's cheering increasing in volume as the swimmers made progress. Through water-filled glimpses of the other competitors, she discerned that she was currently second place. She felt her frustration growing – usually she wasn't very competitive, but she was so close to taking over the swimmer currently at first place and she had trained quite diligently for this event after all. Shirley estimated that she would be able to claim first place if she just sped up. Determination renewed, she doubled her efforts, silently willing her legs to lend whatever strength they can offer. Shirley surged forward in the water, gaining on the lead swimmer steadily. Her muscles screamed at her, but she tried her best to ignore it. _"It's just a little bit of pain for the first prize. No pain, no gain after all."_ Shirley thought, elated that she would soon overtake the swimmer in the lead-

A sharp, intense pain coursed through her legs and Shirley realized with a jolt that she could no longer move her legs. She had overstressed her muscles. The redhead started to sink in the water and her mind immediately switched from trying to swim to trying to stay afloat. However, without the use of her legs, staying afloat in the water was an impossible task. Shirley desperaely willed her legs to move, but they wouldn't even budge. The sensation of pain was grew excruciating and she felt like her thighs were on fire. She could vaguely hear the crowd muttering and shouting as she desperately moved her hands in circular motions, trying to float at the very least, but to no avail.

Lelouch stared in bewilderment as Shirley suddenly paused in the middle of the race. However, his perplexity was quickly shoved aside the moment he saw her desperately trying to stay afloat. Lelouch realized that there must be something wrong with her legs and she would inevitably be submerged in the pool and drown. The crowd merely yelled and pointed at her, safe and unmoving in their seats. _"Imbeciles,"_ Lelouch thought as panic and fear threatened to overwhelm him. Without a second thought, he raced over to the swimming pool, kicking off his shoes and removing his school jacket before diving into the pool in an attempt to save his friend. It was only when he was in the swimming pool, the water cool against his skin and soaked clothing, then he realized he forgotten the most important thing before heroically jumping into the water. He had no idea how to swim.

"Lulu?" Shirley gasped as she witnessed Lelouch plunging into the swimming pool. She had sunk to the point that the water was above her chin level and was now close to her lips. For the briefest of moments, a fantasy where Lelouch would save her from drowning appeared in her mind, much like the typical gallant knight. This bubble was immediately burst when Lelouch instead started thrashing wildly in the water, panting heavily as he showed even more difficulty than her in trying to float. _"Wait – does he even know how to swim?"_ She thought disbelievingly.

"And here we have the hero, who's about to save the girl- oh… wait. Never mind," Villetta said lamely into the microphone as she watched both Lelouch and Shirley fighting to keep their bodies afloat. Villetta was about to cast the electronic instrument aside and enter the pool to rescue them when she witnessed her senior, Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald running over and diving into the body of water. Villetta was open-mouthed for a while before remembering that the Margrave's cybernetic body was fully waterproof, and she leaned back, leaving the situation in his capable hands.

"Good god, you shouldn't be trying to be the saviour if you can't swim, Your H- Lelouch," Jeremiah corrected himself in mid-grumble as he hefted both youths onto his shoulders out of the water before he effortlessly moved to the side of the pool, laying them on the café's floor.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," Lelouch wheezed heavily, coughing water up. "I guess you do have a point though…" his voice trailed away and he fell into semi-consciousness, exhausted by his ordeal in the pool. Jeremiah only sighed and he physically carried both of them away. Shirley opened her mouth to thank the vaguely familiar stranger who had saved her, but no words came out and she, like Lelouch, fell into partial-consciousness from fatigue.

* * *

"Shirley," a soft feminine voice called out. Shirley opened her eyes, rubbing them wearily as she turned her head towards the voice. Currently, she was rested on a single bed in a small room and had changed out of the soaked swimsuit into a fresh set of the Ashford school uniform, minus the yellow jacket the females had to wear.

"Oh, hi Nunna, what are you doing here?" Shirley asked as she propped herself up on the bed. She was surprised to see Lelouch's younger sister- her woozy mind automatically assumed that she would be brought to the sick bay. The walls were painted sky blue and the white curtains were drawn. She still felt slightly woozy, but it was leagues better than drowning in a swimming pool.

"I live here," Nunnally replied, tilting her head to one side as she regarded her brother's classmate and friend, her pale blue eyes meeting Shirley's green ones.

"Oh." It then dawned on Shirley. "You mean, this is where you and Lulu live?"

"Yes," Nunnally nodded. "Are you feeling better now, Shirley?"

"Much better," Shirley commented and she stretched the hands upwards. A bolt of anxiety hit her as she remembered that Lelouch also had a similar experience just now. "Nunna, what about Lulu? Is he alright?!" Shirley urgently asked, her eyes wide with alarm and concern.

"He's fine," Nunnally reassured Shirley. "He should be resting in his own room by now. This is a guest bedroom, by the way."

"Thank god," Shirley relaxed visibly, smiling to herself. It would be terrible if something happened to Lelouch just because he tried to save her. Sure, it wasn't very smart of him – which was quite unlike him, to dive into the swimming pool when he didn't know how to swim, but he still did it to rescue her, failed attempt or otherwise.

"Hey, Shirley?"

"Hmm? What is it, Nunna?"

"You seem to care a lot for my brother."

"Wha-? I'm just concerned about him, Nunna," Shirley could feel her cheeks turning red and she shied away from Nunnally, trying to hide her face. There was a moment or two of awkward silence before Nunnally spoke again.

"You like my brother, don't you, Shirley?" Nunnally teased, her question catching Shirley off guard.

"Um, I don't…"

"Don't deny it, Shirley. It's plain as day," Nunnally continued in a sing-song manner, her eyes twinkling with mirth.

"I really don't like him, Nunna! It's just… well… there's something about him that fascinates me… and attracts me towards him", Shirley admitted lamely.

"So, in short, you like him."

"Nunna!"

Nunnally giggled as her fellow student council member desperately tried to control herself, her entire face was now burning red. "He's quite laid-back though," Shirley continued in a gloomier tone. "I kinda wish he would be more sensible."

"The fact that you're hoping he would change means that you already like him, yes?" Nunnally pressed on, grinning mischievously.

"… Fine, Nunna. I like him," Shirley sighed as she gave in to the younger girl.

"So... tell me, Shirley," Nunnally shifted in her wheelchair, adopting a more serious tone. Green eyes met blue ones steadily. "Why do you like my brother?"

"I-I'm not sure," Shirley stammered. _"Why do I like him, indeed?"_ Shirley ran her supple fingers through her hair thoughtfully. "To be honest, I didn't really like him when I first met him."

"What changed that?"

"Well... back in our freshman year, I witnessed him helping out an elderly couple in a traffic accident when no one would help them. And he did it so casually with that bored look he always had. It was almost as though it was natural for him to assist people in trouble. Since then, I wanted to know him better."

"Oh, big brother," Nunnally exhaled happily, giggling slightly at the thought of her elder brother's actions

Shirley's head snapped up as she realized that she basically admitted her feelings to her crush's younger sister. "Nunna, please don't tell Lulu! If anything, I want to tell him that myself."

"That's great! I hope to see you in the family someday."

"Nunna… please stop teasing me…"

Unbeknownst to the two girls in the bedroom, Lelouch's hand was still and inches away from the doorknob. He wanted to check on Shirley to see how she was doing but ended up inadvertently overhearing the conversation between her and his younger sister. His brows were furrowed as he listened to every single word and was faintly surprised when Shirley admitted that she liked him. _"Come to think of it, it was rather obvious",_ Lelouch mused. _"That would explain why she kept talking to me, approaching me and try to include me in her activities over the past few months. We've grown closer over time as well."_

Lelouch then wondered whether he reciprocated Shirley's feelings. Truthfully, he had never thought of her before as a possible love interest. _"Today was the day when I finally realized that she's a girl,_ " Lelouch thought as his mind wandered over to the memory of her in the pink and revealing bunny outfit. Milly's words from a not-so-distant past, addressed to a fretful Shirley, came drifting into his mind. _"You have a pretty good figure. You're filling out nicely on the top and bottom, aren't you?"_ Lelouch immediately shook his head, trying to dismiss the growing thoughts in his mind. He paused for a moment and mulled. _"If I didn't like Shirley though… what was that feeling in my chest when I saw her drowning? Was it fear? Well, she's my friend after all; I would be scared even if Rivalz was drowning. But still…"_

Lelouch frowned. _"This isn't even my main problem right now! I still have to deal with the Margrave and my father."_ Lelouch moved towards the kitchen of his house, which was actually a part of the student clubhouse, granted to him and Nunnally by the Ashford Family. Lelouch opened his refrigerator and fetched several portions of beef and vegetables from it before grabbing several potatoes from a cupboard and placing them on the kitchen table. The sound of someone clearing his throat behind him caught Lelouch's attention and he turned around.

"Your Highness, with all due respect, you should be resting," Jeremiah said severely, the nobleman's arms folded across his chest.

"I need to prepare dinner," Lelouch replied shortly, turning his back on Jeremiah.

The Margrave stepped forward. "Let me help you, at the very least," Jeremiah said stubbornly, his face resolute.

"If you insist," Lelouch sighed, grabbing a carrot and placing it on the chopping board before slicing it thinly. "We're making ribeye steaks. With mashed potatoes and boiled broccoli and carrots. I assume you're more capable at cooking than Shirley."

"I'm not very well-versed in the culinary arts, Your Highness," Jeremiah admitted. "But I hope that you find me a decent assistant, at the very least."

"Call me Lelouch. At least until Shirley's gone," Lelouch said in a low voice as he shoved the carrot slices into a bowl. He seized a potato and threw it at Jeremiah, aiming at his face. It was somewhat petty of him, but at least it made him feel better. Jeremiah caught the spud flawlessly in one hand."None of my friends are supposed to know that I'm royalty, except for Suzaku."

"Understood, Your H- Lelouch," Jeremiah allowed himself to smile as he crossed over to Lelouch's side. He grabbed a potato peeler and started using it on the potatoes. "It may be wishful of me to hope so, but do you have a definite answer yet?"

"… Peel your potatoes, Jeremiah."

* * *

"Wow," Nunnally exclaimed, rubbing her hands excitedly as the aromatic smell of food wafted from the kitchen. "It sure smells good, doesn't it, Shirley?"

"It does," Shirley agreed. Both Nunnally and she were seated around the wooden dining table. Shirley intended to return to her dormitory the moment she recovered, but Lelouch surprisingly asked her to stay for dinner, and Shirley consented without a moment of hesitation. They shared a brief smile back then, although it quickly faded away from Lelouch's face as he returned to cook. Shirley, at that moment, thought of offering to help, but she recalled the kitchen fiasco during her welcome event months ago and decided that it was wiser to stay out of it.

"I hope you'll find my cooking to your liking," Lelouch drawled as he and Jeremiah carried the plates of steak, potatoes and vegetables together from the kitchen. The two men set the dishes on the table, Lelouch placing a plate of food before Shirley and Nunnally each.

"As long as you're the one cooking it, I'm sure it would taste good," Nunnally smiled and nudged the orange-haired girl sitting next to her. "Right, Shirley?"

"Umm…" Shirley could not think of an appropriate reply as Nunnally giggled at her expression.

"Don't make fun of our guest, Nunnally," Lelouch chided as he distributed the cutlery, although there was a smile playing on his lips as he watched Shirley squirm in her seat slightly. "Alright, dig in, everyone." All four of them started eating almost immediately.

"Do you cook often, Lulu?" Shirley found herself asking, several minutes later after she finished her food. She enjoyed the meal, for it was well-cooked, despite Nunnally's playful banter.

"He does!" Nunnally piped up as she chewed on her food, before Lelouch could even open his mouth to answer. "Not only that, he's the one who does almost all of the household chores, including laundry, ironing and cleaning. I'm sure my big brother would be a good husband and father one day." Nunnally gave Shirley a lopsided smile.

"I've never thought so far about that yet, Nunnally," Lelouch chuckled. Shirley felt a pang of emotion – was it disappointment? Jeremiah let out a hearty laugh at the exchange between the two siblings, drawing stares from the other three people in the dining room.

"Oh, by the way, thank you for saving us back then, Mr. Gottwald," Shirley shifted in her chair as she addressed the only adult in the room. She felt slightly disquieted by the large man, but she thought it would be too impolite not to express gratitude towards him after he rescued her and Lelouch.

"Don't mention it," Jeremiah waved it off, beaming at the slender girl. "And call me Jeremiah. You might see more of me around these days since I'll be staying with Lelouch and Nunnally for a while." Shirley's gaze shifted to Lelouch, who coughed awkwardly.

"Like I said, he's a family friend," Lelouch said, shooting the Margrave an uneasy glance. Jeremiah shrugged nonchalantly under Lelouch's gaze. "Well, if you're done, Shirley, I'll escort you back to your room." Lelouch offered Shirley a hand, who blinked rapidly at his outstretched palm.

"Um, thanks!" Shirley took Lelouch's hand, trying not to blush as she got to her feet. They shared a brief smile before Lelouch quickly released her hand. They exited Lelouch's home and made their way back to the student dormitories. Within what felt like a short minute to Shirley, they have reached the entrance of her shared room.

"Well… thanks for everything today, Lulu," Shirley gushed, meeting Lelouch's violet eyes. "And um… that was very brave of you, but do try not to dive into swimming pools again without learning how to swim first."

"You're welcome," Lelouch laughed a little. "I'll bear that in mind next time." There was a moment of silence between the two, which stretched on for a while. Lelouch's expression softened. "Goodnight, Shirley," his voice barely audible as he turned around and left without another word. He could feel Shirley's lingering gaze on his back.

"Goodnight, Lulu," Shirley whispered as Lelouch finally disappeared from her sight and she opened the door, darting into her room with a spring in her step. The room's darkness greeted her and she dispelled it with a single flick of the light switch. Apparently Sophie wasn't around. Humming to herself cheerfully, Shirley walked over to her table and discovered a light blue envelope awaiting her. _"From Joseph Fenette,",_ the outside of the envelope read in her father's instantly recognizable handwriting. A smile started forming on her face slowly as she picked up the letter and started to read the letter's contents…

* * *

Author's Note: This chapter was rather hard to write for me as I wasn't sure how it should go. I only had the beginning and ending parts in mind. I felt like it was a bit all over the place (sadface). Despite that, I hope that you readers enjoyed it. There are only a few chapters, which are centered on high-school life, left.


	7. The Tickets of Dreams

Author's Note: Hope the last chapter wasn't too weird for any of you guys. This chapter is the first one to hit the seven thousand mark, and it is based on a canon event in Code Geass. The title should be a giveaway (I took it from one of the audio dramas) Just a word of warning: There's going to be some violence and blood in this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything over Code Geass or any of its characters. I really don't.

* * *

 **Chapter 7**  
 **The Tickets of Dreams**

"The school festival was nearly a failure," Milly bemoaned. "Just when we needed the vice-president to operate the Ganymede to make the pizza, he was unavailable because he was busy drowning in the swimming pool."

"I don't think it was a failure even without the giant pizza," Kallen frowned questioningly at the student council president. She did not understand why Milly was so obsessed over it. Sure, it was extravagant and certainly eye-catching, but it was not the sole feature of the school festival. "The event was running quite smoothly, with the exception of the pizza making, of course."

The student council was gathered in the council room again as they were supposed to evaluate the school festival so that future events could be improved. However, there were only four student council members – Lelouch decided to skip it and went on to gamble and Rivalz accompanied him. Suzaku had military duties to attend to; hence he was missing as well. Milly, Kallen and Shirley were seated around the rectangular wooden table and Nina, as usual, was sitting in the corner, typing away on her computer.

"True, and luckily we had quite a capable substitute who salvaged the problem!" Milly exclaimed. "I didn't know Suzaku was such an adept Knightmare pilot, he made operating the Ganymede look easy! He's leagues ahead of Lelouch. He should be in charge of making the giant pizza for next year's school festival."

"And because of him, the pizza was completed on time," Kallen concluded, still knitting her eyebrows. "So I fail to see why you called it 'nearly a failure', Milly." Kallen shifted uncomfortably in her seat at the mention of Suzaku's piloting skills.

"Well, we nearly couldn't carry out the making of the pizza – and therefore it was almost a failure," Milly returned dourly. "It was our highlight. I have been planning the making of a twelve meter pizza for months. It wouldn't be the same without the pizza, right, Shirley?" Milly glanced at Shirley, who was looking at an envelope clutched tightly in her hand.

"Mmm…" Shirley replied distractedly, waving the envelope idly in her hand. Her mind was focused on the letter's contents, which was sent by none other than her father, Joseph Fenette.

* * *

 _Dear Shirley,_

 _I'm happy to hear that you're having fun with your friends in school. It sounds like the student council members are nice people. Hope you're doing well in school. Do let me know how the school festival went. It must be stressful but exciting to plan such a big event, especially for a famous school like Ashford Academy._

 _Everything's fine over here. We've received a big project from none other than Prince Clovis himself! Can you believe that? We're in charge of discovering more sakuradite veins and reporting the locations to Prince Clovis's liaison. It seems like he is eager to gather more sakuradite. Perhaps it's because the rising tensions between Europia United and Britannia. I do hope that they can solve it peacefully without going to war, though._

 _Oh, and I have some good news to share with you. I have managed to secure two tickets to the Britannian Empire's Seventh Symphony Orchestra's performance in Area 11. It's in the Tokyo settlement and not far from Ashford. Maybe you can go with that boy you've been telling me and your mother about so much? If it all goes well, do try to arrange a meeting with him and us over the weekends. We're always keen to meet boys who interest you._

 _One last thing, I must be having a streak of good luck lately, for I won the lottery! $8,000 Britannian Dollars! It's not a lot, but it's still something. I guess I should have placed bigger bets back then, but I shouldn't push my luck too much. As I would like to share my fortune with you, I have enclosed $1,000 dollars and the two tickets to the Symphonic Orchestra Concert. Hope to see you soon._

 _Lots of Love,  
Your Father_

* * *

"Shirley?" Milly asked again, turning around to regard the slender redhead. Shirley was still unresponsive as she continued to stare at the letter. Milly smiled mischievously and she stood up, stealthily tip-toeing behind her friend, who showed no signs of noticing the student council president. Without warning, Milly crouched behind Shirley and placed her hands on her chest and squeezed tightly. Shirley instantly yelped in alarm and leapt from her chair, causing the blonde to burst into hysterics.

"Prez! You pervert! What on earth was that for?" Shirley rounded on the council president, who was busy laughing her head off at Shirley's reaction. Kallen shot Milly a look of disapproval, although she allowed herself to laugh a little at Shirley's expression of indignation.

"Well, I had to get your attention somehow," Milly gasped, trying to catch her breath, her stomach heaving from too much laughter. "What's that envelope you were staring at anyway? A love letter?"

"It's not! It's a letter from my dad…" Shirley said, her voice trailing off as she dug into the envelope, pulling out the two concert tickets. "He has given me two tickets to the coming Seventh Symphony Orchestra's Concert."

"That sounds good," Kallen commented, examining the tickets in Shirley's hand. She couldn't recall the time when she last attended a concert. Maybe she had attended one when she was younger, before the Britannians came and conquered Japan, but she couldn't remember it clearly. "Why the long face then?"

Shirley hesitated for a moment, but she saw no reason to keep it from her friends any longer. "I'm thinking of asking Lelouch… but I don't know whether that's a good idea."

"Why?" Kallen was confused. Like Nunnally, she thought it was rather obvious that Shirley had a huge crush on Lelouch.

"I mean, if I ask him out… he'll think I like him, wouldn't he?" Shirley blurted out nervously. "A-and I do, actually. What if he rejects me? It'll be so awkward – I don't think we can be friends anymore after that!"

"You mean he doesn't know yet?" Kallen asked incredulously. "I mean, practically the entire student council knows that you like him!"

"I envy you, Shirley," Milly said wistfully, before Shirley could reply to the other redhead. The slightly older female stared at the two tickets clutched by Shirley. "You're able to choose who you can fall in love with."

"Love? Is that what this is…?" Shirley blushed; before Milly's other words hit her. "Wait, what do you mean? Are you not able to, Prez?"

"My parents want me to marry a noble in the hopes of re-establishing the Ashford family," Milly sighed, averting her eyes to the window, looking at the view of the school gardens outside of the room. "The chances are high that I'll wed someone I won't even love."

"That's terrible," Shirley sympathized. She was strongly against such practices as she believed that love cannot be forced. "I wasn't aware that such a thing still existed in today's age."

Milly gave a sad shrug. "Oh well, enough about me for now. So are you going to ask Lelouch out or not?"

"But…" Shirley shifted hesitantly as she tried not to imagine Lelouch rejecting her. _"Oh, why is this so difficult…_ "

"I think you should, Shirley," Kallen spoke up earnestly, earning glances from the other two. Even Nina's head perked up a little as she listened in on the conversation. "We're not going to be students forever. Once we graduate, it's going to be hard to see Lelouch. Right now as students is your best chance to tell him your feelings." Kallen hesitated for a moment, then added quietly, "It's best to tell your loved ones what you feel, for you might not get an opportunity to do so later."

"Ahh, wise words from Kallen," Milly laughed as she nodded energetically. "I agree with her. You best confess to him as soon as possible. Don't worry, we'll support you!" The door slid open and sets of footsteps could be heard. "Isn't that right, you two?" Milly asked, grinning as she turned to regard Lelouch and Rivalz, who have just returned from their gambling activities.

"L-Lulu!" Shirley gasped as she beheld her crush. Lelouch titled his head slightly to one side curiously, his fringe shifting across his handsome features.

"Is something the matter, Shirley?" Lelouch asked, noting Shirley's reddening cheeks and her nervous fidgeting.

"Oh no, everything's fine. She just has something everything important to tell you, isn't that right, Shirley?" Milly asked sweetly, grinning widely. Lelouch could not help but have a feeling of disquiet that the blonde was about to pull some antics again. "Let's go, everyone."

Milly snatched Rivalz's hand, who didn't object in the slightest as they marched out of the council room. Kallen nodded, catching on to Milly's plan as she grabbed Nina by the arm and dragged her outside of the room. "Wait! I'm not done with that equation yet!" Nina protested.

"You're doing scientific equations during our student council meeting? Honestly, Nina, you should learn to relax," Milly chided as all four of them exited the student council room, leaving a confused Lelouch and a bashful Shirley behind.

"Um… hi, Lulu," Shirley greeted shyly, not meeting Lelouch's eyes. Her fingers combed the locks of her orange hair agitatedly as she felt her trepidation growing.

"Hello, Shirley. What's up?" Lelouch asked. For some reason, he felt a surge of nervousness and anticipation as he pondered what would cause Shirley to behave like this.

"H-how's Nunna?" Shirley attempted to go for a brave smile, trying to make some small talk before popping the question.

"She's doing fine. Why?" Lelouch responded, his brows knitting themselves into a frown as he stared uncomprehendingly at Shirley.

"Oh – um, nothing. Say, Lulu… would you free this Friday evening?"

"I might be. Why's that?" Lelouch pressed on.

"W-well, I got a couple of concert tickets to the Seventh Britannian Symphony Orchestra," Shirley stammered as she showed Lelouch the two tickets in her hand. "My dad's job requires him to work from home, so sometimes he sends stuff like this to humor me. So I was wondering… whether you'd be interested to watch it. With me." Shirley blushed again and averted her eyes apprehensively, crossing her fingers behind her back.

"Ah." Lelouch said in understanding. Suddenly, Milly's previous actions made a lot of sense to him now. They wanted to leave both of them alone so that Shirley could ask him out. _"She's definitely asking me out on a date, isn't she? Well… it must have required her to gather a lot of courage." H_ is eyes were trained on the blushing schoolgirl in front of him, still not daring to meet Lelouch's gaze. "Sure, why not?"

"What?" Shirley asked Lelouch, her vivid green eyes wide in disbelief. "Sorry?"

"Sure," Lelouch repeated. "I don't see why not." He felt an immense amount of satisfaction expanding within him as Shirley slowly began to smile – the beautiful, radiant beam that she always had.

"Thank you so much, Lulu!" Shirley could barely believe her own ears and had to restrain herself from jumping forward to hug him gratefully. "I guess… I'll see you on Friday at 6pm, then!" Shirley bolted from the room almost instantaneously and Lelouch blinked at the speed of her leaving the room. He chuckled at Shirley's shyness as he sat down and reclined in his chair.

" _This may foster a relationship between us, though,"_ Lelouch thought to himself in the empty room. He wondered when would the others return, and estimated that it would be in a couple of minutes once they're done congratulating Shirley on her success. Lelouch shook his head. _"But I may have to return to Britannia one day… what was I thinking, just accepting her date right off the bat? I already agreed to do so, though. I'll just go along with it for now."_

* * *

 **Three days later, 5.57PM, NHK Hall, Shibuya, Tokyo Settlement**

Lelouch stood outside of the concert hall, waiting for Shirley to arrive. He was clad in a dark tank top, a maroon leather jacket and dark blue jeans. Lelouch huffed and glanced around in irritation. However, he was not annoyed at Shirley – she could technically still make it on time, but at Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald. Upon learning that Lelouch would be going out of Ashford, the Margrave nearly had a fit. While Lelouch was dismissive of Jeremiah's concerns, the nobleman insisted that he accompanied him since he was his bodyguard. He had sighed loudly back then and allowed him to do so, and Jeremiah made arrangements with the concert organisers to allow him to enter.

Jeremiah had also assured him that he would be out of sight and not interfere, using the noble's own words, 'with Your Highness's date with his beloved girlfriend'. Lelouch was strongly considering demoting Jeremiah to a pesant, with a daily quota of over nine thousand oranges, if he did return to Britannia. A person who could not follow simple instructions such as 'stop calling her my girlfriend' does not deserve to be a solider, let alone be a high-ranked noble like a Margrave. He had to admit though, that Jeremiah was doing a grudgingly good job of keeping himself unseen, since Lelouch was actively looking out for him while waiting for Shirley to arrive. He could not help but wonder what she would be wearing and realized he had never seen her outside of her Ashford uniform, barring her swimsuit and the ridiculous bunny costume, of course.

As though thinking about Shirley caused her to show up, Shirley arrived at the front doors of the concert hall. She was wearing a yellow dress with white ends that fell past her knees and a white cardigan, complete with white heels. Her attire was modest, but yet there was something that took Lelouch's breath away when he saw her.

"Hi, Lulu," Shirley smiled nervously at her crush, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She could feel Lelouch's eyes on her and she could felt like she was cloud nine right now. " _Oh, to have successfully asked him out on a date!"_

"Hello, Shirley," Lelouch glanced at his watch. "I was here since ten minutes ago. You're about three and a half seconds late."

"Oh." Shirley had no idea how to respond until a past memory of them going to the Victory Memorial Center came drifting into her mind. "A reversal of our usual roles," she remarked wryly.

"Admittedly, normally I'd be late for thirty minutes, but never mind," Lelouch grinned sheepishly as they started climbing up the stairs to the front doors of the concert hall. Shirley giggled as Lelouch had to concede a point against her again. Lelouch casted his look around the crowd of concert-goers around him, but much to his frustration, he could not spot Jeremiah as before. _"At least he's annoyingly good at being an undercover bodyguard,"_ Lelouch thought as they entered the concert hall and located their seats. "Good seats", Lelouch commented as he settled comfortably into his designated place. They weren't far from the stage but not too near either, and the seats were in the center of the hall.

"Well, my father's always trying to pamper me," Shirley admitted. "I guess he tried to get the best seats available for us." She glanced at Lelouch, trying to measure his reaction.

"Really? You never struck me as an indulgent or sheltered individual to me," Lelouch raised his brows as his eyes gave Shirley an once-over again. She was relatively modest compared to most girls in Ashford.

"Probably because my mother's a little stricter than my dad. She doesn't let him spoil me," Shirley laughed as she recalled her childhood years ago in Pendragon, the capital of the Britannian Empire, fondly. "I still love them nonetheless."

"That's good," Lelouch said distractedly as at the mere mention of parents, he started to think of his own dilemma again. It has been a week since Jeremiah arrived at Ashford Academy and gave him the new of his mother's assassins being brought to justice. Both his childhood friend, Suzaku, and little sister, Nunnally, appear to be encouraging him to forgive his father, but he was still hesitant at the thought of returning to Britannia. It was not so easy for him to simply forgive and forget, after all.

"Lulu? What's on your mind?" Shirley asked concernedly, noticing Lelouch's brooding. Her voice brought Lelouch out of his own musings and he started a little. He looked back into Shirley's peridot green eyes, which were filled with curiosity and anxiety.

"It's nothing… well…" Lelouch hesitated for a moment then decided to tweak his answer a little. "It's my father. He told me that he wants to see us again." Lelouch squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and he could hear Shirley gasp loudly.

"Your father wants to reunite with you two?" Shirley enquired, sitting up in her seat attentively. "That's a little surprising, but isn't that great? You guys can be a family again!"

"Yea, I guess you can say he wants to reunite with us," Lelouch admitted, tapping his fingers subconsciously on the armchairs. "It won't be the same as before though. To be completely honest… I'm not sure whether I should forgive him."

"Why is that?"

"He abandoned us. Wanting to get back together with us after all these years of hardship isn't a justifiable reason for me to pardon him."

"Lulu… I know this may sound trite, but he's your father. Nothing's going to change that," Shirley's countenance softened with sympathy as she placed one hand placidly on Lelouch's shoulder. Shirley groped around for the right words in her mind thoughtfully before saying, "I hope I don't sound condescending, but I think you should put the past behind you and let go. Only then you can look to the future and move on, right?"

"Putting the past behind so you can progress into the future, huh?" Lelouch paraphrased, tasting the words on his tongue and finding them to his liking. Privately, he agreed with Shirley's ideal of forgetting the past to move on into the future, but he still needed time to himself to think carefully. His decision would not only affect him, but Nunnally as well. "Your advice was simple, Shirley, but it was most useful. Thank you," Lelouch thanked her, and Shirley could hear the sincerity in his words and facial expression.

"You're welcome," Shirley said softly. They spent the next few minutes in comfortable silence, and Lelouch spent most of it brooding on his problem again. As more of the concert attendees poured into the hall, filling up the empty seats, Shirley glanced at the digital clock fixed near the stage. "19:00" it read, and almost immediately, a man with short cropped brown hair and of an average build came walking on the stage, dressed immaculately in his formal wear.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the emcee announced in a booming voice, using the microphone positioned near his ear. "In a minute's time, the Seventh Britannian Symphony Orchestra will enter and the concert will commence. Please be advised to switch off your electronic devices or turn it to silent mode, and eating and drinking is strictly prohibited in this hall. There will be refreshments provided after the concert." The emcee waited patiently until a minute had passed before clearing his throat and resuming. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Seventh Britannian Symphony Orchestra will enter now. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show." The audience applauded loudly as the orchestra came onto the stage, bearing their musical instruments. A moment or two later, they began to play…

* * *

 **8.58PM , outside of NHK hall, Shibuya, Tokyo Settlement**

"All units, please be advised to hold your positions. The mission will commence in two minutes," a heavily accented voice announced over the communications system. A cluster of men in green military uniforms tensed visibly, clutching their weapons tightly - a collection of submachine guns and assault rifles. They were terrorists by definition, although they called themselves freedom fighters, battling to liberate Japan. They were the Japan Liberation Front, the largest anti-Britannian armed force in Area 11. In addition to the soldiers, they had three Knightmares with them, fourth generation Burai frames. Although they were out of date, they were still superior and much deadlier than the average infantry.

"Mission commencing in one minute. Check all your weapons and equipment," the voice called out again, and the group of men – perhaps two dozen, excluding the Knightmares and their pilots, obeyed unquestioningly as they waited. Many of them were staring at their watches as the seconds ticked by, although some were staring at their target – the NHK concert hall. A few of the men muttered under their breaths, expressing disgust that one of their iconic concert halls was now used to house a Britannian orchestra playing for Britannians.

"Mission commencing in five… four… three… two… one… zero. Long Live Japan!" The voice screamed out as the men charged in determination, closing in on the concert hall with their weapons in hand.

* * *

The concert's ending was met with thunderous applause, which Shirley joined in, clapping enthusiastically until her own palms felt sore. Lelouch sought to emulate her, albeit to a lesser degree, applauding politely. Shirley turned towards Lelouch and caught him smiling in the lazy, self-satisfied way that he always had. A jolt shot through her as Lelouch too, shifted in his seat to regard her, and their eyes met, amethyst orbs boring into vivid green ones.

In that moment, it felt that all the noise, the wild clapping and cheering, died out, leaving only two of them in the world. Lelouch watched as Shirley beamed at him, as a return to his own grin. Shirley leaned in towards Lelouch, and he could feel his heart rate accelerating. _"What's going on?"_ Lelouch belatedly thought as he could literally hear his pulse pounding loudly, but decided to let it play out. A warm, slender hand clasped his own and he jerked slightly, and then relaxed.

"Lulu… I have something important to tell you," Shirley whispered softly, her other hand clinging onto Lelouch's arm gently. She could feel her anxiety rising, but she pushed it aside. This was her chance to tell Lelouch how she felt about him at last.

"What is it, Shirley?" Lelouch asked. Her hand felt so smooth and soft to his touch. He could feel himself anticipating Shirley's next words, which felt a little strange to him, but he disregarded it. _"Is she going to do it…? Is she going to tell me that she likes me? I have no idea how to respond to her if she does…"_

"Lulu… I…" Shirley began, tenderness in her voice as she felt heat creeping towards her cheeks, but she ignored it. Now was not the time to act like the shy schoolgirl in Ashford Academy. _"Tonight is the night I will confess to Lelouch Lamperouge,"_ she reminded herself.

Lelouch did not say anything in reply, but he tightened his grasp around Shirley's hand in response. It hurt a little, but the tense grip was strangely comforting to her. They did not break eye contact, and Shirley found himself leaning closer towards him. She could count the number of his eyelashes if she wished to do so. "Lulu… would you consider being my-?"

Shirley never managed to complete her sentence. The cheers and applauding reached a crescendo as the conductor of the orchestra bowed. It was so loud that it almost sounded like gunshots. It took the most of the audience some time to realize that there were indeed gunshots echoing through the concert hall. Screams sounded as the doors were kicked open and two dozen gunmen dressed in green military uniforms rushed in, firing their weapons into the air. Shirley's mouth was agape in shock as she watched the surreal situation unfolding in front of her. She had heard of terrorist attacks in Area 11, especially by the remains of the Japanese military forces, but never thought that she would be caught in one!

A hand grabbed Shirley's wrist and quickly tugged her down to the floor. She landed with a muffled thud on the carpeted floor of the concert hall and her initial thought was to scream as shrilly as possible. However, the person who pulled her to the ground was none other than Lelouch, who was kneeling behind his cushioned seat, his violet eyes scanning the armed men warily. "Get down," Lelouch hissed quietly, holding onto her wrist firmly. "They're from the Japan Liberation Front."

"Really?" Shirley tried to sit up from her prone position to get a look, but Lelouch didn't let her, ordering her to stay down as he tried to assimilate the situation. She could not help but feel touched at the show of concern. "What do they want?"

A booming, heavily accented voice answered her, as a well-built Japanese man stepped into view. He had medium length dark hair and a bristling moustache. "I am Lieutenant Colonel Josui Kusakabe of the Japan Liberation Front! We're taking this stand for the liberation of Japan. Stay down and keep quiet and you shall not be harmed!"

* * *

"The Japan Liberation Front demands the release of their incarcerated members from the Britannian Military. Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe has promised us that the JLF will not engage in wanton killing of the hostages. However, he has specified that for every half an hour, the JLF will kill a hostage if their demands remain unmet." A harried-looking reporter on a portal television screen said gravely.

"Damn it!" Suzaku swore loudly, slamming a gloved fist against the interior of his cockpit as further footage of the hostage incident was displayed. He was in his Knightmare, Lancelot, and his entire division was moving towards the NHK concert hall. Several minutes ago, he had received calls from none other than Milly and Rivalz, who told him that Lelouch and Shirley are currently attending a concert there and it was highly likely they were caught up in this incident. "Damn it, Kusakabe, doing things this way won't result in anything meaningful!" Suzaku snarled as he swerved his seventh generation Knightmare Frame along the road. They were deployed from the Viceroy Palace of Clovis la Britannia and would only arrive at the concert hall in thirty five minutes. That means that a hostage will most definitely die.

Suzaku found himself praying that neither Lelouch nor Shirley would be the ones who would suffer the JLF's wrath, and then he berated himself for his callousness as that meant he would be wishing for someone to die in their stead. A life was a life. _"Hang on, Lelouch, Shirley. We'll get there in time,"_ Suzaku thought as he attempted to reassure himself.

* * *

Kusakabe glanced at his watch impatiently, his nostrils flaring with irritation as negotiations with the Britannians have gotten nowhere yet. The Britannians were quick to repeatedly ask him to 'come out to talk', but he recognized it was a delaying tactic and therefore he refused to do so. It has been thirty-two minutes since he had issued his ultimatum to them. He stood on the hall's stage as he switched his gaze over to the cowering Britannian civilians and grimaced in distaste. He did not like involving civilians into this as it smacked of dishonor, but he found that he could not feel sympathy towards them. After all, most of them were haughty and disdainful towards his people, the Elevens, who toiled under the Britannian's harsh rule.

A JLF solider marched towards him hastily as he sought to bring urgent news to his leader. The Lieutenant Colonel leaned towards his subordinate as he whispered frantically in his superior's ear. "It's the Britannians, sir. Our scouts have spotted a full squadron of Knightmare frames moving towards us, including a new model which looks like a prototype. It is estimated that they will reach in six minutes."

"That's too soon," Kusakabe scowled, annoyed at the Britannian's show of force. He should have expected such a reaction from them. He then looked around the vast concert hall, calculating the number of men he needed to remain here. "Send twelve men here to the front doors. We need as many troops as we can spare so we won't look like we'll be so intimidated easily. The situation's under control here anyway."

"Yes, sir," the JLF soldier saluted briefly and passed on the instructions to the others. In less than a minute, a full dozen of the JLF soldiers left the concert hall, bringing their assorted weapons with them. Kusakabe glanced at his watch again. Perhaps it is time to show the Britannians that he meant business. He did declare that one hostage will die for every thirty minutes their demands remained unmet after all.

"You," Kusakabe rasped, pointing a finger at a young woman with brown hair in the front rows, who recoiled in fright, clinging onto her friend, a blonde woman, tightly. "Get over here." The woman only whimpered and after a moment of stillness, she shook her head, cringing nervously as the Lieutenant Colonel glared at her, drawing his katana in the process. Kusakabe glowered at the subject of his ire and motioned towards his remaining subordinates, who seized the woman by her arms and forcefully dragged her towards him.

"No! No! Let me go!" the woman screamed as she thrashed wildly in the grip of the terrorists to no avail. Kusakabe sighed and his subordinates threw the woman bodily, who landed at Kusakabe's feet. Lelouch tensed visibly, unwilling to let such a vile act proceed before his very eyes. However, for all of his intelligence, he was both weaponless and outnumbered in a room without resources to fight back, so he could only grit his teeth and watch.

"I prefer not to do this, but I need to show your countrymen that I mean business," Kusakabe tightened his grip around his katana and raised it, which glinted wickedly in the dim concert hall. He was about to bring his sword down to impale the woman through her heart, and they will display her body outside later, when a gunshot rang out among the audience. Instantly, Kusakabe opened his mouth to admonish the fool who discharged his weapon needlessly when a second gunshot was heard, the bullet hit him square between the eyes. The katana dropped from his suddenly nerveless fingers to the floor with a loud clang beside the shrieking civilian and Kusakabe slumped over, blood spilling from the hole in his head, quite dead.

Chaos ensued as the other JLF members yelled in shock at their sudden leader's death and sprang forward, their angry eyes roaming the crowd to locate his killer. They did not have to search for long, as a huge, dark green-haired man with nondescript clothes leapt from his hiding spot, a large caliber pistol clenched in his hand.

Lelouch and Shirley both sat up and watched in amazement as Jeremiah burst forth like one of the heroic knights of old. The Margrave fired his handgun twice more, each of the shots finding their targets. His aim was both accurate and deadly. One of the bullets ripped through a terrorist's chest, sending him sprawling to the floor while the other was a headshot. Shirley winced and fought the urge to vomit as the huge caliber bullet literally blew the terrorist's brains out, gray matter and gore splattering on the floor. Lelouch looked hardly better as bile rose in his throat as he examined the firefight brewing around them.

The JLF members were not idle, of course. They brought their automatic weapons to bear, firing with wild abandon at the lone Margrave, who leapt, twisted, ducked and rolled with amazing agility. Several of the bullets struck him, but were surprisingly deflected with pinging noises. "Thanks for the cybernetics, Camelot," Jeremiah smirked as he returned fire, his aim unerring and ruthless as more of the JLF members dropped lifelessly to the floor, their heads or torsos in bloody ruins as he mercilessly exterminated them with perfect aim and extreme prejudice. After all, his liege's life was in danger and it was his duty to protect him at all costs.

A stray bullet whizzed past Shirley's head by the barest of millimeters, sniping a bit of her bright orange hair off. She heard and felt the bullet whistling past her and she cried out in shock, causing Lelouch to envelop her in a tight embrace as they dropped prone to the floor again. "Shirley! Are you alright?" Lelouch asked anxiously as he frantically searched for any sign of injury.

"I'm fine," Shirley gulped as she once again found herself on top of Lelouch. _"Oh, why on earth do I think of such things now?"_ she thought as she tried not to concentrate on Lelouch's arms wrapped around her tautly. The firefight continued to rage around them with the sound of gunfire growing deafening as she attempted her best to shut out the noise to the best of her ability.

Jeremiah ducked for cover as the remaining four terrorists continued to spray their submachine guns wildly, shooting the stuffing out of the cushioned seats. Just as he sought to reload his now empty pistol, he heard one of the JLF members call out, "Britannian! Come out of there with your hands in the air and walk towards us! Or we will execute the hostages like lambs to the slaughter!" Jeremiah grimaced. Damn terrorists never played fair. The nobleman peeked from the chair he was hiding behind and true enough, two of the JLF members were holding onto a hostage each, who shivered and squirmed in the terrorists' grip uncomfortably, the cool metal of their weapons pressed against their temples. The other two remaining so-called freedom fighters trained their weapons on Jeremiah's hiding spot.

Jeremiah fished in his pockets for his communicator and whispered into it, "Take care of the two with the hostages while I surrender, Villetta. I have a plan. Tell the Knightmare squadron outside to destroy the JLF forces outside." Villetta Nu, the head of the swimming club in Ashford, was also a secret service agent employed by Charles to help keep track on Lelouch shortly after Jeremiah located the prince. She agreed to accompany Jeremiah for the concert as part of her mission and when he expressively told her to remain hidden from the terrorists until he needed her help. _"That move has certainly borne fruit, it seems,"_ Jeremiah thought as he calmly rose to his feet, putting his hands in the air as he dropped the pistol to the ground and addressed the JLF members. "I hear you! I hereby unconditionally surrender. Please do not harm the hostages while I approach." Jeremiah then began his slow walk towards the terrorists, the beads of sweat on his face belying his calm composure.

"Get on your knees!" one of them barked, still pointing his weapon threateningly at Jeremiah's head. Jeremiah complied for a moment, bending his knees before he lunged forward, a sword unsheathing from a hidden wrist guard on his right hand, and he slashed at his target's neck, cleanly decapitating him. The surprised look on the terrorist's face did not die as his head dropped to the ground, a fountain of red liquid shooting from the stump of his neck. At the same time, Villetta picked off the two terrorists holding onto the hostages in quick succession with her pistol, and they fell limply onto the carpeted floor with gore trickling from their heads. The last JLF member shrieked in a mix of outrage and shock before he attempted to gun down Jeremiah, the bullets of his assault rifle deflecting uselessly off Jeremiah's enhanced cyborg body. The Margrave closed the distance in a spilt second, impaling the hapless terrorist through the stomach on his sword. The blade burst forth from the man's back, severing his spine.

Jeremiah viciously kicked the JLF member off his sword with his full cybernetic-enhanced strength, rupturing the organs of the dying man as he flew several feet before crumpling into a gory mess on the concert hall's floor. "Damn terrorists," Jeremiah spat with loathing, eyeing the corpses around him. The thunderous sound of explosions and gunfire was briefly heard from the outside of the hall before it died down suddenly, the massively numerically superior Britannian forces wiping out the JLF forces within a heartbeat without a single word of negotiation exchanged. They have received news from two secret intelligence agents that the threat in the concert hall has been neutralized, after all, and hence there was no need to broker with a toothless enemy.

Lelouch and Shirley, together with several civilians, slowly rose from the ground, as they observed the aftermath of the brief battle. All of the audience members were surprisingly yet thankfully only shaken but unharmed. Shirley breathed a sigh of relief, although she felt a pang of sadness when she witnessed the dead bodies. "Why did they have to do this in such a way?" Shirley murmured to herself. The doors were slammed opened again, causing most of the audience to look up in alarm, only to relax when they saw it was the Britannian military forces.

Leading the group of Britannian armed forces was Suzaku, urgency written all over his face as he anxiously searched the crowd. "Lelouch! Shirley!" Suzaku yelled loudly as he raced around the concert hall, trying to locate his friends.

"We're here, Suzaku. We're fine," Lelouch called out, waving his hand at the frantic Suzaku, whose face broke into a huge grin of relief as he ran towards them.

"Thank goodness you two are alright," Suzaku sighed, pulling them into a group hug. Both Shirley and Lelouch smiled despite their ordeal. "I got such a fright when Milly told me that you two were attending the concert when the terrorist incident occurred."

"You mean you wouldn't care if we weren't?" Lelouch chuckled as he allowed himself to relax a little after the terrorist attack was over. "I wonder what your superiors would say if they heard that."

"That's not what I meant. You're my best friend, Lelouch," Suzaku punched Lelouch on the shoulder, although he joined in the laughter. His good mood lasted two seconds as Suzaku noticed the dead terrorists scattered around the concert hall. "What happened here?" Suzaku asked, examining the wounds of the JLF members.

"Jeremiah saved us. He was quite… efficient," Lelouch replied, in an equally quiet voice.

"Your family friend is certainly interesting, Lulu," Shirley muttered as she glanced from the blood-soaked Margrave, who was cleaning the gore off his extendable wrist blade, to her crush, who now looked stricken. Lelouch shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another as the uneasy silence stretched on. Even Suzaku was staring at Lelouch, he knew Jeremiah's true role but he felt that it was Lelouch's right to reveal that to Shirley.

"He's my bodyguard," Lelouch decided to give a half-truth. "He has ties to the Britannian military, although he isn't a solider anymore. My father decided to employ him to guard me after he expressed his desire to reconcile with me."

Shirley's brows furrowed in confusion as she continued to stare at Jeremiah, who noticed it and gave her a half-hearted wave. "Still, he looks quite extraordinary to me. The bullets were deflecting off him..."

"Shirley," Lelouch said softly. As much he hated to do so, it was necessary to keep her in the dark for now. "I'm sorry, but it's hard to explain. I promise I'll tell you everything when the time comes, alright?"

"Alright," Shirley hesitated for a moment before nodding. While Lelouch's reason was to not explain everything fully to her right now was unknown, she trusted him implicitly.

"Anyway, what was the important thing you were about to tell me before the terrorist attack?" Lelouch couldn't resist but probe, although he was fairly certain that it was a confession from her.

"Oh… um, Lulu… I…" Shirley blushed as she felt not only Lelouch's eyes on her, but Suzaku's as well. She felt rather uncomfortable as they were within earshot of Suzaku, but according to Kallen, the whole student council knew that she liked Lelouch anyway. "I wanted to tell you…"

"Shirley. It can wait, right?"

" _No, it can't,"_ Shirley thought as she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. After a period of strained quietness, she finally nodded. "It can wait," Shirley said simply, staring into Lelouch's amethyst eyes with her green ones. "I guess I'll see you at Ashford, Lulu." Lelouch smiled and squeezed Shirley's hand gratefully, before she turned and shuffled her feet silently as she made her way out of the concert hall.

"Why didn't you let her confess?" Suzaku questioned Lelouch, who was staring after Shirley's disappearing figure. Like most of the student council, He could tell that Shirley has feelings for the raven-haired teenager. "Do you dislike her or something?"

Lelouch shook his head. "Perhaps it is for the best," Lelouch replied cryptically in a hushed voice before he turned to approach Jeremiah. He could scarcely believe that the Margrave was not entirely human, as shown by his near superhuman performance. Perhaps he was fueled by sakuradite. His mind briefly shifted over to Shirley's disappointed expression before she left the concert hall, and he sighed.

It was a long day for him. It was an even longer day for Shirley.

* * *

Author's note: And with that, that's the first slice of action you're going to see in this fic. Hope it wasn't too lacklustre or abit too much for a T-rated story. Do let me know what you guys think about this chapter, especially Shirley's advice and Jeremiah's asskicking.

Oh... and I just realised I screwed up the canon timeline pretty badly. The Lake Kawaguchi incident (Kusakabe's attack) should take place before the concert, and the school festival occurs some time after the concert in canon. Oh well. I kind of did want a bit of action in between the chapters, though. I never really thought of this event serving any extraordinary purpose other than to push Shirley's confession back a little, and maybe to build the relationship up a little.

Till next time, folks.


	8. Milly's Unexpected Auction

Author's Note: First of all, I have to say that a large part of this chapter is largely inspired by another Lelouch/Shirley fanfiction, named "Ambivalence". It's a completed fic written by DreamScene and has 13 chapters. Do check it out if you guys have the time. If you've read that fic before, you'll most likely know what's going on in this chapter by reading the title alone. But there's a slight twist in it. For those who didn't, well, the chances are high that you might find this chapter to be borderline ridiculous. Don't take the figures too seriously. You'll know what I mean later.

* * *

 **Chapter 8  
Milly's Unexpected Auction**

Lelouch sat down on his bed heavily, his long fingers fidgeting with his cellphone as he stared at the contact on its screen. "Charles zi Britannia," the contact's name flashed insistently. Jeremiah had passed him Charles's personal number several weeks ago and told him not to spread it around. It was the fourth time Lelouch eyed the contact number since he had obtained it from the dutiful Margrave. It felt strange to him that he could communicate with the very emperor of Britannia, who more or less controlled one-third of the entire world, through such a common thing like a phone call. Three months had passed since the NHK hostage incident and Shirley's words of advice back then rang in his head once more. _"You should put the past behind you and let go. Only then you can look to the future and move on, right?"_

It was several hours past dusk and the lights were switched off, leaving Lelouch's bedroom almost pitch black except for two sources of illumination; Lelouch's cellphone and the moonlight, which spilled into the room from the windows. Lelouch's thumb hovered over the "Call" button tensely as he continued to glare at the contact selected on his cell phone. After a period of strained silence, he punched in the button and held the phone to his ear. It was near midnight, but Lelouch could hardly give a damn if he awakened his father in the middle of his sleep. After all that he and Nunnally went through, that man deserved so much more than a mere sleepless night.

"Hello?" a gruff voice, which Lelouch had not heard in nearly a decade, answered the phone. Despite the lengthy period since he had communication with his father, Lelouch could tell that it was unmistakably Charles zi Britannia, the ninety-eighth emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire and his father.

"Greetings, father," Lelouch returned stiffly, his amethyst eyes flickering over to the blue-painted walls of his bedroom.

"Lelouch?" Charles's tone was disbelieving but calm. He was informed by Jeremiah that Lelouch might call soon, but he was not expecting his son to call so quickly.

"How are the rest doing? Odysseus, Cornelia, Schneizel, Euphemia?" Lelouch cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to find a topic to talk about with his estranged father.

"They're doing fine. Odysseus is still a buffoon as usual, though." Both father and son shared a chuckle together for the first time. If there was anything they could agree on, it was that the crown prince Odysseus was incompetent. "But at least he's here, in the homeland, where he belongs," Charles continued quietly. "Lelouch-"

"Don't try to guilt trip me, Charles," Lelouch snapped, his voice and temper rising. "The fact still remains that Nunnally and I had to scrape by while your troops merrily plundered and conquered the very country we learned to live in! I don't care what your reasons are! There must have been a way you could have reached us, somehow, you callous bastard!"

Tense quietness only answered Lelouch as the prince took big gulps of fresh air to regain control of his emotions. "I have some conditions for you to fulfill here, if you want me to go back to Britannia peacefully. Nunnally will stay here until I deem the time is right. You're not going to marry any of us off as some political tool, especially Nunnally. She has suffered much already. Far too much."

"I understand," Charles replied, his voice heavy with a familiar emotion. Lelouch realized that it was guilt and for the briefest of moments, he felt compelled to go softer on his father. The prince immediately discarded the feeling and hardened his heart; clutching his phone so tight that he was half-surprised it was not cracking under the immense pressure.

"I'll return once I've completed my studies here in Ashford. I repeat; Nunnally will not be coming with me. Not yet. You will provide me with a written declaration signed none other by you, acknowledging that you have agreed to my conditions. Is that understood, father?" Lelouch did not apologise for his furious outburst earlier, and did not see why he needed to do so. He still did not trust Charles's word alone, and he sought to find a way to ensure that the agreement would be set in stone.

"I understand," Charles repeated.

"Goodnight, father. I'll see you in Pendragon in ten months' time," Lelouch abruptly ended the call with a loud exhale. He rose from his bed and peered from his room's windows, looking at the extravagant, large school bathed in moonlight. Ashford Academy was his home and Nunnally's for nearly five years.

" _Despite the pointlessness of the life as the student Lelouch Lamperouge, I'll miss this place,"_ Lelouch thought, his mind wandering over to the childish and senseless moments he had at Ashford. Milly's exuberant and often over-the-top festivals, gambling with Rivalz, bickering with Kallen, debating with Suzaku and even talking to Nina, who was often taciturn around him. Those bits seemed so immature and senseless back then, and now he found that he wouldn't mind having more of those.

And then there was Shirley. He would definitely miss exchanging banter and laughing with her. He thought of their clasped hands over the dim light of the concert hall. He thought of her warm body pressed against him as the firefight raged around him. He recalled the time when he thought she would drown, how his heart pounded from fear, and how he foolishly jumped into the water to save her despite not knowing how to swim. With a sad smile on his face, Lelouch climbed into his bed and fell asleep; his last thought was of an alluring orange-haired girl and her beautiful, captivating smile.

* * *

 ** _Seven Months Later…_**

"Hi guys, does anyone else feel that Lulu has been more distant with us lately?" Shirley spoke up suddenly, trying not to feel nervous as the student council members looked at her in surprise. It was a pleasant spring afternoon, a few weeks after winter has ended in Area 11. Once again, the student council members were assembled in the council room and more than one of them was notably absent. Suzaku had apologetically told them that he would be busy, but he will arrive in time to hear Milly's important announcement. Meanwhile, Lelouch and Rivalz were gone gambling again, although they disgruntledly promised Milly that they would be around to hear her news. And the two newest additions, the Knights of the Round Gino Weinberg and Anya Alstreim were absent as well, attending to their military duties along with Suzaku.

"Mmm…" Nina absent-mindedly replied, tinkering with her keyboard as she continued observing her computer's monitor.

"Stop spending so much time on your computer, Nina," Milly chided, swinging her legs up and down as she sat on the table. She then pondered on Shirley's question, mulling over Lelouch's interactions not only with her, but the other student council members as well. "I think you're right. Lelouch hasn't been spending a lot of time with us. I've invited him for so many events over the past few months but he always turned me down."

"You have too many events, Milly. No one can possibly attend them all," Kallen pointed out before turning her attention to Shirley. "That's true. I don't see Lelouch around much these days. And he hasn't even been arguing with me at all. He seems a little… cold."

"At this rate, I'll never be able to tell him that I like him!" Shirley lamented, putting her hands on her face as she sighed. Her feelings for Lelouch were burgeoning as the days went past and she had no outlet for them.

"You haven't told him yet?!" Milly and Kallen chorused in unison, their eyes bulging with a combination of incredulity and exasperation. Shirley shook her head, shrinking a little under the intense gaze from her companions.

"L-Like I said before, I'm very afraid that he might reject me!" Shirley stammered defensively as she attempted to meet the eyes of her friends and fellow council members.

"Shirley, you are aware that this is our final year at Ashford and we're graduating soon, right?" Kallen admonished, rolling her eyes at the auburn-haired adolescent.

"I know that! It's just… so difficult…" Shirley sighed gloomily as she folded her arms on the table, resting her head on them. A resolute expression started forming slowly on her face. "Alright, I'm determined to ask him out as my partner for the spring dance."

"The spring dance…" Milly frowned, her fingers racking the side of her head. The blonde then opened her mouth to talk, but Kallen spoke up first.

"That's a great idea, Shirley. You best do it fast, there's probably a hundred girls bidding their time to ask him out. As his good friend, I think you stand a pretty good chance of being accepted," Kallen encouraged Shirley. Kallen usually was not very comfortable with Britannians around her age, for she was secretly half-Britannian and half-Eleven, but for some reason she felt that the student council members were quite pleasant. Kallen's eyes then flickered over to the student council president. "By the way, Milly, why did you accept those two Knights of the Round so easily in the council?" The two Knights were inducted into the council last week, and one of them was already getting on Kallen's nerves.

"Hmm, the more the merrier, isn't it? They expressed interest in joining. I can't just turn them down, they're nobles too after all," Milly explained simply, tilting her head at Kallen. "Besides, didn't I welcome you without much thought as well?"

"I know… but ugh, I don't have any problems with Anya; she keeps mostly to herself, but Gino's just downright irritating!" Kallen huffed crossly, folding her arms across her chest. Shirley blinked at the annoyance in Kallen's voice. She never witnessed the seemingly gentle girl lose her temper before. "He's _always_ trying to hit on me, no matter how many times I told him I'm not interested. That spoilt Britannian brat…"

"What's wrong with being a Britannian?" Nina suddenly piped up, startling Kallen and the rest. Nina rarely spoke during council meetings.

"Oh, um… nothing! Haha. Forget what I just said," Kallen's voice trailed off weakly as she glanced at Milly. Milly was the only one apart from Kallen herself who knew that she was half-Britannian and half-Eleven and the former was keeping it a secret.

"Nevermind that, Nina," Milly said as her eyes starting gleaming, as they always have whenever the president had an idea. "Anyway, Shirley, I'm afraid that there will be complications, regarding your plan for the spring dance."

"Complications?" Shirley repeated, cocking her head to one side as she stared, dumbfounded, at the curvaceous blonde. She started to have a sinking feeling in her chest. If she was unable to ask Lelouch out as her dance partner…

"I have an event in mind for the spring dance. The whole student council is involved," Milly grinned as she watched the other three girls still gawping at her in confusion. "No worries, it's nothing too extreme. I'll explain it in detail once the others are here."

"Come on, prez, just tell us already," Shirley persisted. She disliked being kept in the dark, especially when it might result in conflict with her plans.

"Well, I'm only going to do so once the others are here. Why don't you call your Lulu then? Ask him where he is right now," Milly suggested, smirking as Shirley turned a bright shade of crimson.

"I'll try..." Shirley dug out her pink cell phone and after a brief moment of hesitation, she dialed Lelouch's number. However, within two seconds, the line was cut off. Shirley jolted backwards, looking at her phone in disbelief and irritation. 'Call Ended,' the screen of her cell phone read. "That jerk hung up on me!"

Milly burst out laughing at Shirley's reaction. "Oh well, I guess we have to wait until they come of their own accord then. Have fun waiting," Milly teased as the other three girls exchanged looks and squirmed uncomfortably in their seats.

* * *

"So what is this oh-so-major event you've been talking about, Milly?" Lelouch asked in a bored tone. The entire student council was finally gahered in the room and the eight students were staring at their president. "I could have won at least a hundred dollars or two if you didn't rush me so much."

"Oh, trust me, this is a far easier method of gaining money than your gambling trips," the blonde assured her subordinate, patting him lightly on the shoulder. The statement caught the attention of everybody in the room and they straightened their backs as they listened raptly. "Lately, most of the student clubs in Ashford academy are complaining of insufficient funds. And as the student council, it's our duty to sponsor them with the money assigned to us by the school, but unfortunately grandfa- I mean, the headmaster isn't willing to give us any more funding." Milly deliberately omitted the part where her grandfather told her it was because she had spent too much on her past events. "And thus, I've came up with this brilliant idea. We're going to auction ourselves off as dates for the spring dance."

"What?!" Shirley and Kallen sprang to their feet, aghast. They gaped at Milly, desperately hoping that the blonde was making some sort of an elaborate joke. "You can't be serious!" The two redheads exclaimed in unison.

"I am quite serious, actually," Milly giggled as she could not help but feel tickled at their horrified expressions. Oh, if she had a camera right now to take a photograph. "I honestly think most of us are fairly popular among the student body of Ashford. That means it's possible that we can rake in large amounts of money this way."

"How does this auction work, Milly?" Gino interjected. The Britannian Knight was lean and extremely tall, easily towering over the president and Lelouch. He had short and messy blonde hair and intense blue eyes. "Say, can we actually participate in it too?"

"Of course, Gino," Milly clapped her hands exaggeratedly, grinning widely at the new council member. "Basically it will work as a standard English auction, the highest bidder wins. However, a person can break their 'date' by bidding on another council member as long as it exceeds the amount of money they were secured with. For example, if I am to bid five hundred on Lelouch, he has to go with me as my date." Milly casually snuggled up against Lelouch, fighting the urge to laugh as Shirley's jaw dropped in indignation. The black-haired teen merely looked at Milly unconcernedly, with the uninterested look he always had. "However, he can 'break' this by bidding six hundred on someone else, say, Shirley. It must be more than the previous bid, though. Of course, we'll return the money to the previous bidder. It's more entertaining this way, don't you think?"

"Sounds fun," Gino remarked, his eyes shining with excitement as his gaze fixated on Kallen, who noticed it. Kallen made a look of disgust at him, but the light in Gino's eyes was far from extinguished.

"This is a horrible idea, prez!" Shirley protested. Kallen and Nina nodded in assent, while Rivalz frowned in deep thought. "That means we're not able to go with our desired dates!" Shirley could feel Lelouch's eyes on the back of her head, and she tried her best not to look at him.

"Unfortunately, this is by the order of your student council president, so you have no choice but to obey," Milly's eyes sparkled with mirth. Suzaku shrugged, clearly used to Milly's shenanigans after a couple of years in the council. The other knight, Anya, a petite girl with pink hair and eyes made no objections. Rivalz and Lelouch did not protest the idea either. "So we're going with this. The spring dance is in a week's time, and I'm going to announce the auction today. It will be held in three days' time. Council dismissed!"

Shirley and Kallen groaned in exasperation. The spring dance was going to be hell for them…

* * *

Lelouch walked across the school corridor, making his way to the chemistry lab for his final lesson of the day. He was well aware that most of his friends were wondering why he was becoming increasingly distant from them, but he did nothing to convince them otherwise. Nonetheless, he was somewhat surprised to find that he was more sentimental than he thought. The prince _missed_ interacting with his friends. However, he decided that it was for the best if they forgot about him, since he would be returning to Britannia in about three months' time. Despite his resolve, he could not help but feel tired of being so aloof around his friends.

Regardless of his increasingly cool attitude towards his companions, Lelouch still had one last thing to get past. The student council's spring dance auction. Milly had announced the auction a day ago, and so far it was very well-received among the student body of the academy. Lelouch was aware of gaggles of excited girls gathering to discuss how much they would bet on him or Gino, and he rolled his eyes at such silly behaviour. Privately, Lelouch wondered whether they could even secure Gino, as he seemed quite determined to get Kallen as his date for spring dance. To make matters worse for them, Gino was from a rich and well-established aristocratic family. Lelouch snorted, brushing such thoughts aside. Whatever the female students were up to, it was none of his concern.

Thinking about the auction caused a small voice in his head to ask him. _"Who are you hoping to go with for the spring dance?"_

 _"It doesn't matter,"_ Lelouch answered. _"I have no interest in such mundane tasks."_ He just hoped that his date would not make him feel awkward. The only girl he had danced with before was Nunnally, and that was before the Sword of Akasha's attempt on their lives.

 _"Really? How about having an interest in one of the girls then?"_ the voice teased him. Lelouch's mind flashed back to seven months ago. A memory of Shirley, her reddening cheeks and her face barely inches away from him as she attempted to confess to him under the dim lights of the concert hall crossed his mind.

" _None,_ " Lelouch replied curtly. _"And this is_ _ludicrous, I'm having a converastion with myself!"_ He shook his head, banishing both the voice and memory.

As Lelouch crossed the corridor, he heard several voices in the room close to him. The voices were male and high in volume, as they talked enthusiastically about the auction. Lelouch sighed inwardly, just after his mind was thinking about the same thing. Such occurrences of students chatting about the auction were becoming common and Lelouch was about to disregard it and continue walking when the mentioning of a familiar name reached his ears. Lelouch paused in his tracks, his brows furrowing as he eavesdropped on their conversation.

"… are you going to bid for Kallen? Forget it, dude, that blonde knight has the hots for her! There's no way you'll win." The voice was recognizable to Lelouch – the speaker was the captain of the football team, Eric.

"Who are you going to vote for then, Eric? Milly?"

"Milly's really attractive, but she's older than me by a year. Nah, I'm going to bid for Shirley." There was a slight pause, and Lelouch frowned, pressing his ear against the door as he strained to catch more of the conversation.

"Shirley? Why?"

"Dude, she's pretty good-looking too. I mean, she's nowhere near Milly or Kallen, but they're bound to be taken anyway. And did you see her in that bunny girl outfit last year? She looked amazing in it. I'm definitely going to bid for her after seeing that. Who knows? Maybe she's willing to do something a little extra after the dance."

"I don't think she's that type of girl…"

"You have no imagination, dude."

Lelouch felt a brief twinge of a strong emotion – was it jealousy? Irritation? Shirley deserved a better date than someone who merely admired her physical beauty. _"Maybe I should bid for her. I have enough money to guarantee that I'll win it anyway… Wait. No, I'm not going to risk getting emotionally attached to anyone here since I'm returning to Britannia. This is for the greater good for us both…"_ Lelouch mulled. He tried to dismiss his sense of unease as his mind wandered over to an image of Shirley dancing with another person, and failed. Annoyed with himself, he resumed his walk to the chemistry lab.

* * *

 **Three days later…**

"Welcome to the spring dance auction, students!" Milly said cheerfully into the microphone. She, together with the student council and the entire student body of Ashford were assembled in the school hall. She was currently standing behind a wooden podium on the stage, her eyes roaming across the multitude of students before her. The other council members were scattered across the crowd, waiting for her to call their names before stepping up to the stage before being auctioned. "I'm sure all of you are excited for this event and are clear about the instructions already. If you're still unaware of the rules, please read the pamphlets, which should have been given to you as you entered the hall. All of you are also given a small microphone. Activate it and announce the amount of money you're willing to bid if the time comes." There was the sound of ruffling of papers as numerous students checked the flyers, re-reading the rules of the auction again.

"Now, let's start! Our first council member to be auctioned is none other than…" Milly clapped dramatically as an audio track of a drum roll played through the speakers. "Kallen Stadtfeld! Come up please, Kallen!" Kallen heeded the call, squeezing her way through the crowd as she made her way to the stage with an absolutely disgruntled look on her face. She then turned around and faced the audience.

"Come on Kallen, smile!" Milly cajoled, but this time Kallen did not obey and instead shot the president a glare. "Oh, whatever. Kallen Stadtfeld of class 3-D, people! She has a very gentle temperament and she's from the established Stadtfeld family! She's pretty and has a good figure too, don't you agree?" Kallen sighed and tapped her foot in irritation against the floor. "Do we have any takers?"

"Forty dollars!" This statement was met with booing and jeering.

"A hundred!" A squeaky voice, barely recognizable as male called out.

"Two hundred!"

"Three hundred!" A deep voice boomed, and gasps and cheers echoed through the hall.

"Five hundred Britannian dollars." A cool voice called out, and the entire student body fell silent.

"Five hundred dollars? Wow," Milly remarked as she tried to search for the person who bid such a high amount of cash. "Calling once… calling twice. No other takers? Sold!" Milly smacked the podium with her hand overzealously and winced as she felt it sting a little. "Whoever placed that bid of five hundred dollars, please come up to the stage and hand over the money to me." Not surprisingly, Gino stepped from the sea of people, grinning widely as he climbed the stairs to the stage and handed over a thick wad of money to Milly. He then stretched a hand over to Kallen, who did not take it and merely stared at him icily.

"Buzz off, rich boy," Kallen muttered, but Gino was far from discouraged. He hooked his arm with Kallen and they marched back into the crowd, with Kallen spluttering in indignation.

"And next! We have Rivalz Cardemonde. He's quite an easy-going and nice guy, if you ask me," Milly cleared her throat as Rivalz went on the stage, displaying himself to the audience. "Any takers?"

Milly's question was only met with a long silence, which stretched on almost indefinitely until a shy voice piped. "Um… thirty dollars?"

Milly raised her eyebrows and she waited for a moment or two for any other bidders, but there were none. "Okay… thirty dollars." Laughter rang out across the crowd and even Rivalz smiled sheepishly. "Calling once… calling twice. Sold." Milly refrained from smacking the podium this time, her still smarting hand reminding her not to do so. A petite girl with brown hair, whose name was unknown to Milly, walked on the stage and passed her the money. Rivalz shrugged and went back inside the crowd.

"I'm really curious right now, so forgive me for disrupting the order," Milly giggled as she stepped away from the podium and centered herself on the stage, striking a pose to display her figure fully. "Milly Ashford, your one and only student council president. Any takers?"

"Seventy five!"

"A hundred and fifty!"

"Two hundred and fifty."

"Three hundred!" a loud voice called in triumph.

"Four hundred dollars!" Someone countered. The hall resumed its quietness.

"Four hundred dollars," Milly repeated as she peered into the crowd and found Rivalz waving at her exuberantly, grinning from ear to ear. "I won't say this is surprising, Rivalz. Come on up." Rivalz obeyed, scuttling up the stairs to the stage and passed her a stack of cash mutely, too excited for words. Milly tried not to laugh as she compared Rivalz's behaviour to a young boy finally getting a toy he has been eyeing all day.

"I've been saving up all year," Rivalz grinned. "See you at the dance, Milly." Milly smiled at her friend and waved as he returned, once again, to the audience. While she did not feel attracted to Rivalz in any way, the blonde did not dislike him either.

Milly reached inside her pocket for the list of student council members to be auctioned off by order. Her eyes widened and she smirked. "Aha! The next one is going to be the big one. Lelouch Lamperouge!" Half of the audience cheered shrilly, almost to the point of unbearable as the prince stalked forward to the stage. "Don't deny it, girls, this is the moment most of you have been waiting for." Shirley shifted awkwardly from one foot to another, one hand grasped around the letter her father sent her months ago in a tense, shaking grip. "Lelouch Lamperouge, vice-president of the student council. He's totally suave and handsome, isn't he? The question is… how much are you willing to bid for him?"

"One hundred!"

"Three hundred!" another girl squealed in excitement.

"Four hundred!"

"Five hundred!"

"Seven hundred!" The student body was quiet again. The bidder was none other than Miya Hillmick, a girl with medium-length light purple hair and average height, and in the swim club. She was a first year student, meaning that she was only sixteen this year.

"Seven hundred!" Milly was impressed. It was nearly fifty percent higher than Kallen's winning bid. She waited for a moment or two, expecting a recognizable voice to call out, but she was disappointed. Maybe the amount was too high for her to challenge. Milly shrugged nonchalantly. "Calling once… Calling twice… Sol-"

"A thousand!" Lelouch blinked in shock as Milly's prediction came true; a familiar voice did announce a sum of money higher than the one earlier. Shocked silence greeted the bid as the entire student body turned their heads to the source of the shout.

Shirley raised her father's envelope high in the air, her limbs quivering as the eyes of literally every student in Ashford were trained on her. Her face was burning red, and she avoided meeting Lelouch's surprised eyes. She stared at Milly, her mouth pressed into a thin line as she awaited Milly to declare her the winner.

"Shirley…" Milly's face spilt into a mischievous grin. "How much did you say you would bid for Lelouch again?"

"A t-thousand, p-president," Shirley stammered, wishing that she could vanish on the spot right now. Muttering broke out among the students, and there was more than one girl shooting her resentful looks. She attempted to shut out the murmuring and the angry glares they were giving her to little avail.

"Sorry?" Milly asked sweetly, cupping her ear with one of her hands. "I'm afraid I didn't catch that. Could you repeat again? Be louder this time." Shirley wished she could strangle her friend right there and then, for she was deliberately making this a lot harder for her.

"I said, A THOUSAND BRITANNIAN DOLLARS, PREZ!" Shirley screamed at the top of her voice, wincing from the soreness of her throat. Shirley fell silent later, embarrassed at her outburst.

"Sold!" Milly gasped for breath after doubling up with laughter. "Shirley Fenette with the winning bid of a thousand dollars! Come up and pass me the money." Shirley scurried over to the stage as quickly as possible, handing over the envelope to Milly, who opened it and retrieved a huge bundle of notes. Shirley finally risked a glance at Lelouch, whose amethyst eyes were studying Shirley. Consternation was written all over his face, but he nodded in understanding at her before breaking the eye contact. Still blushing madly, Shirley hurried out of the hall entirely, unable to bear the furious stares the other girls were giving her any longer.

* * *

 **Two days later…**

Shirley panted a little as she lugged multiple paper bags full of clothing to her dormitory room. She had just returned from a shopping trip at Omotensado mall during her break. The trip was for the spring dance, which was arriving in two days' time. Due to her limited break time, Shirley was undecided in choosing a dress to buy and ended up purchasing multiple dresses in her dilemma. She only hoped that the one she would eventually pick to wear would catch Lelouch's eye when it was time for the spring dance.

The slender swimmer glanced at the time displayed on her watch and she nearly freaked out when she saw that it was almost time for her swim club activities. Dumping the shopping bags unceremoniously on her bed, she sprinted out of her dormitory, ignoring the curious glances from students passing by. Villetta had promised the swim club members that she will be hosting a small party for the final year students since it would be their last swim club session before all club activities are halted for the examinations, and Shirley did not want to miss it. She had fond memories of the swimming club, after all. She breathed a sigh of relief as she entered the swimming complex, and the clock showed that she was two minutes early. The swimming complex was strangely empty, although there was a neat row of food and drinks placed on a long table. It looked untouched to Shirley, and she wondered where the rest of the swim club members could be.

Shirley slowed her pace and she strolled leisurely towards the changing room to catch her breath after her sprint. As the orange-haired girl made to open the door to the changing room, several raised voices reached her ears and she froze. She could have sworn that she heard her name and Lelouch being mentioned.

"…can't believe she is willing to go that far! Like seriously, a thousand dollars?" Miya groused. "That's so desperate!"

"I know, right? She's so desperate…" another girl could be heard muttering.

"You yourself placed a bid of seven hundred, and that's no small amount, you know," Sophie pointed out, defending her friend and roommate in whatever way she can. "I don't see why you're calling her out for something which you're somewhat guilty of. Just seems that you're jealous she won the auction."

"Hey! Why are you so protective of her anyway?" Miya scowled in annoyance at Sophie's words. Although Miya did not want to admit it, they struck home. "Well, I bet Lelouch wouldn't enjoy the dance anyway. He's being forced to dance with a partner he didn't choose, after all."

"I don't see how that's any different if you won the bid."

"You-"

"Okay, break it up, people," Villetta's voice cut into the ruckus. "Let's head out, the party should have started already." There was a sound of numerous people getting to their feet and the sound of footsteps grew louder.

That was when Shirley decided to enter the changing room. She twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open, and found herself face-to-face with Villetta. "Hi. Sorry I'm late," Shirley mumbled.

"It is fine, Shirley. Get changed, we'll wait for you outside," Villetta smiled at her, whatever petty grudge she had against the student gone long ago. "Don't take too long!" Villetta called over her shoulder as she led the other swim club members out of the changing room.

"Sure, coach," Shirley replied half-heartedly. The moment all of them cleared the room and the door swung shut, Shirley collapsed on a bench and she started to brood on what she had just heard earlier. _"Of course, I knew that by winning the bid, I would be making Lulu dance with me but I never really thought if he would enjoy it or not..."_ Shirley let out a long, drawn out exhale. _"What if he's secretly mad with me? He did look rather disquieted when I won the bid... Was it because he didn't like me? Maybe I shouldn't have placed the bid on him."_

 _"Okay, calm down. If he dislikes me, he wouldn't spend so much time with me,"_ Shirley reminded herself as she tried to regain control of her rapidly spiraling thoughts. _"Regardless of what's going to happen during the dance two days later… I'm going to tell him. The spring dance is my last chance to tell him how I feel._ " With that in mind, Shirley changed into her swimsuit before exiting the changing room. Throughout the party, she attempted to smile and socialize the best she could, but her mind was busy elsewhere. _"Two days from now, I will tell Lulu that I like him."_

* * *

Author's Note: That's it for this chapter. I know it's a little short as compared to the previous two, and may leave more to be desired, but there's no way I can squeeze in the dance without making the chapter over ten thousand words. I hope this is an enjoyable read nonetheless. And predictably, the next chapter will be about the spring dance.

The addition of Gino and Anya isn't that important honestly. I just wanted the student council to mirror the one in canon, although all nine students were not part of the council at the same time.

And I have to stress that the student council auction is **not my idea.** It was inspired by another Lelouch/Shirley story named "Ambivalence". The ending of the auction is different, of course, so it wasn't an imitation. Just an inspiration.

Let me know what you guys think about this!


	9. The Ashford Spring Dance

Author's Note: Frankly speaking I had a lot of difficulty writing this one. I must have edited this chapter at least half a dozen times. When I first finished this chapter it had about five thousand words.. now it has over seven thousand. I guess the lengthy Author's notes at the start and ending piled on the word count as well, though. Whoops :( Nevertheless, I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter. Writing this one was almost a nightmare for me (arghhhh), because I have no idea how a typical school dance goes (never attended one), so I just kinda just made this up. Oh well.

Anyway, I'll be taking some time to reply to some guest reviews... first of all, to "KK": I always thought that Pendragon would be somewhere in Colorado or something (my knowledge of the geography of the USA is probably terrible, since I've never been there), but nonetheless, yes, I must admit that I failed to take the time zone difference of Area 11 and Pendragon into account. Sorry about that. Still, I hope that everything was fine for you nonetheless.

Oh and to my guest reviewer "Guest Person", thank you for your encouraging words. Don't worry, you didn't sound pushy/disrespectful at all. You raised an excellent question about Rolo as well. In case anyone else is wondering when would Rolo appear (I did list him as one of the major characters after all), he would make his first appearance in chapter 12. His role will not be minor, in fact I think he would be quite significant as a side character/secondary protagonist. I daresay that I feel he's more suited to the role of a major character than Jeremiah. All I can say is that I have big plans for him, although his involvement is only limited to half of the story (I intend to have around 25-26 chapters in total).

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass or any of its characters. The only thing I own is a potato. And of course, the non-canon stuff.

* * *

 **Chapter 9**  
 **The Ashford Spring Dance**

Shirley preened in her bedroom mirror for the umpteenth time. Her table was a cluttered mess of makeup items – eyeliners, lipsticks and bottles of nail polish. She observed her reflection in the mirror once again, placing her slim hands on her hips. Despite the amount of cosmetics she had, the auburn-haired adolescent opted to only apply minimal amounts of it, for she felt that she would look way too unnatural to Lelouch if she chose to put on heavy makeup. She did apply some nude nail polish, though; just enough to lend her nails a glossy appearance.

Shirley twirled on her feet and hummed a slow tune, cocking her head to the side as she scrutinized her reflection again, and made to straighten the folds in her dress. She was clad in a modest forest green dress, its hem falling just an inch above her knees, and she wore a set of mint green low-heels on her feet. A simple peridot necklace adorned her lithe neck and freshwater pearl earrings dangled slightly from her ears. Her orange hair was done in a sleek ponytail and her arms were bare, with the exception of a moderately inexpensive silver bracelet. Shirley let out a sigh as she continued studying herself in the mirror, trying to determine whether she looked good enough. Shirley wasn't particularly vain, compared to most girls, but she wanted to look the best for Lelouch and she wondered whether her appearance would be well enough for him.

As though thinking about Lelouch would cause him to appear, the sound of light knocking on her dormitory door reached her ears. Shirley's eyes flickered nervously to the simple wooden door. She recalled that Lelouch had whispered to her as he walked past her yesterday that he would be picking her up from her room. It was rather strange of him, for he has not spoken to her since the auction.

The sound of knocking repeated again. "Go ahead, Shirley. You'll be fine," Sophie, her roommate of three years, assured her. Sophie was finished with grooming herself almost an hour ago and she was sitting on her bed, patiently watching Shirley fret over her appearance. She knew how important this dance was to Shirley and would most likely behave similarly if she was in her shoes.

Shirley gave Sophie a smile of appreciation before inhaling deeply and crossing the room. Her hand hovered over the doorknob hesitantly for a moment. Shirley clutched the knob, twisted it and pulled the door open, revealing Lelouch. Shirley met his expressionless look and winced inwardly, as she had hoped that Lelouch would at least be warm to her during the dance. However, a twitch of Lelouch's facial muscles betrayed his stony expression, and it looked like he was about to grin for an instant, but it was gone in the next spilt-second. An uncomfortable silence ensued as the prince continued staring at his dance partner wordlessly, until Shirley decided that it was enough and broke the stillness.

"Hi, Lulu," Shirley greeted Lelouch. He was dressed in a white collared shirt with black buttons, complete with a black bowtie and a grey blazer. He wore matching grey formal pants and polished black leather shoes. In Shirley's eyes, he looked absolutely dashing – the very image of striking. If only he showed more emotion…

"Good evening, Miss Fenette," Lelouch replied stiffly. In the background, Sophie frowned at Lelouch's tense posture and choice of words, and Shirley felt her heart plummet a little at his display of unfriendliness. Lelouch felt a small pang as her disappointment showed on her face, and he decided to allow himself to loosen up a little. He extended his hand towards Shirley, his lips tugging up into a small smile. "Shall we proceed to the dance?"

"Sure," Shirley returned the smile, a tiny spark of happiness beginning to dance wildly in her heart as Lelouch finally broke his emotionless face. She grasped his outstretched hand gently and Lelouch lightly tugged her forward, much to her delight, and they started their journey to the courtyard, where the dance will be held. A part of her mind screamed at her to tell Lelouch her feelings now, but she quieted it down. _"Now isn't the right time. It will be too sudden_ , _"_ Shirley reminded herself as Lelouch whisked her off to the courtyard. As they reached the venue, Shirley could see the heads of many girls turning to look at Lelouch. Light muttering broke out as they spotted him, which evolved into jealous glares sent towards Shirley's direction the instant they noticed that he was holding hands with her.

"Shall we start?" Lelouch cleared his throat awkwardly, causing Shirley to start a little as she was examining the barely recognizable courtyard. The evening sun bathed it in a friendly yellow-orange glow and the flowers were blooming in the lush bushes arranged neatly around the area. Numerous round tables with white tablecloths and cushioned seats were placed in a circular formation, and a row of refreshments were displayed in a corner. Ballroom music played loudly, but not near deafening, through a vintage gramophone and there was a wide, round open space in the middle of it all to dance. The grass was freshly mowed and there were already several students dancing.

"Wait!" Shirley called out nervously before Lelouch pulled her into the dancing area. He raised his eyebrows quizzically at her, puzzled at her hesitation. "I'm sorry for making you dance with me, Lulu. I hope you won't feel that you are being compelled to do so," Shirley whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Ah," Lelouch studied Shirley, who was fighting not to break eye contact with him. _"Does she feel insecure…?"_ Lelouch thought as she continued to look into his eyes, her mouth drawn into a thin line as she uneasily waited for his response. He could see the trepidation and sincerity in her green orbs. His face broke into a grin, perhaps the first genuine smile he had given her since he began distancing himself from his friends. "I would rather dance with you than a complete stranger, Shirley. Don't worry so much."

Shirley blinked, and then slowly began to beam at him. "Thanks, Lulu," she managed to express herself. Lelouch nodded and brought her to the dancing area. They settled in a close hold, Shirley raising her right hand, which was still grasping Lelouch's left one. His other hand rested on her left shoulder blade and her left hand mirrored the movement. The music's tempo was slightly fast, and they started moving to the beat. Shirley tried not to think of Lelouch's hand on her shoulder as they moved around the courtyard, or how Lelouch seemed to be a natural at dancing, which made her feel ungainly compared to him.

Shirley could not help but compare how normal Lelouch was right now to how he was acting since several months ago. There was little trace of coolness in this current version of him and he seemed much more like himself. She wondered what caused him to adopt a frosty attitude towards his friends, including her, and what made him lose that stance right now. Shirley could not figure it out for the life of her. Instead, she opted to stare into his amethyst eyes. His gaze seemed to pull her in inexorably, and Shirley lost track of the time as they danced across the courtyard. His eyes were so easy to be lost in…

As the minutes ticked by, Lelouch felt increasingly tempted to shed the cool exterior he had built up around him since months ago. He was astonished by such, for he was never this inclined to do so around his other friends. The prince studied his dance partner, ever conscious of the softness of her hand clasped around his, and pondered the question of why she of all people had such an effect on him. The sunset glow shone across her features, and he found her even more striking than usual. Oh, he was definitely aware of her attractiveness and the obvious fact that she was a girl, but there was something about this moment that seemed to make her so much more noticeable…

The moment was ruined when Milly, clad in a flowing light blue dress with a low V-neckline, picked up a microphone and jested, "Why are so many of you students just standing around? Look at the thousand-dollar couple! They are doing quite well, don't you think? Don't be afraid and enter the dancing area!"

"Prez!" Shirley snapped her enraptured gaze away from Lelouch, flushing from a mix of embarrassment and indignation as she felt the intensity of many pairs of eyes on her and Lelouch. "Why aren't you dancing with Rivalz?" she countered, trying to focus on her dance so that she wouldn't trip while conversing with the curvaceous blonde at the same time.

"We're entering soon, just you wait!" Milly shouted back gleefully as she continued to watch her friend dancing with Lelouch with a slightly wistful look on her face. She sighed a little before she spotted Gino all but dragging Kallen along with him. Kallen kept on a face of stubborn sullenness while Gino looked positively energized. The former was wearing a dress similar to Shirley's, except that hers was light pink, and the Knight was in a navy blue suit and brown leather shoes. Milly desperately tried not to laugh as she witnessed Gino's fumbling attempts in trying to get Kallen into a close hold, and when he finally succeeded in doing so, their difference in height made it look near ludicrous, since Kallen was only of average height while Gino towered over Milly, who was already taller than Kallen by a significant margin. The pair started to dance – or rather, Gino tried to steer Kallen around, who was exacting petty retribution on the aristocrat by treading on his toes as they moved around the dance floor. The blonde knight winced more than once, but he persisted in his efforts. Even Kallen herself had to grudgingly commend Gino for his patience in her mind, for she did not doubt that the Knight would have extremely sore feet by the time the night was over.

As more students joined the designated area, Shirley was finding it harder to dance with Lelouch due to press of bodies around her. She nearly stumbled more than once as she collided with other students occasionally. Her discomfort must have shown as Lelouch mutely broke the close hold and led her by the hand, trying to find an unoccupied table for them to take a break.

In the end, they only managed to find a table with only two occupants, who didn't mind, for they were none other than Suzaku and his dance partner, a slight girl with dark hair. Suzaku was tapping his feet lightly to the music, clearly enjoying the scene before him. His dark green eyes gleamed with mirth as he observed Kallen 'dancing' with Gino, the former seemingly more enthusiastic about stepping on her partner's feet than actually dancing with him. The second he spotted Shirley and Lelouch making their way towards him, the honorary Britannian leapt to his feet. "Hello, you two. Enjoying the dance?"

"Hello, Suzaku. And yes, I was," Shirley gasped, slightly out of breath since they had to fight their way through the crowd. Lelouch was hardly better. He looked worn out and was panting a little. "We're taking a break. There are too many people right now." Both Lelouch and Shirley flopped limply on the cushioned chairs with a small exhale.

"Oh. Let's go," Suzaku suddenly grabbed his dance partner's wrist and gently tugged her to her feet. She made a slight sound of protest before they disappeared into the growing mass of people. Shirley realized that Suzaku most likely did that to give her and Lelouch some time to themselves, and she thanked him silently in her mind. The pair watched as the dance continued, and Milly finally entered the area with Rivalz, whose face was lit up with elation. She wondered if Lelouch felt as joyful as Rivalz when he was dancing with her, and wished if it were so, no matter how silly it sounded.

"I'm going to get some refreshments. Would you like something to drink?" Lelouch asked abruptly, startling Shirley out of her reverie as the lanky dark-haired teenager got to his feet.

"Um… maybe some fruit punch or something. Thanks!" Shirley replied, and Lelouch walked over to the refreshments table and fetching two plastic cups filled with punch. He passed her a cup, his fingers casually touching against hers before he returned to his seat. Thirsty and a little tired after the activity, Shirley sipped her drink, the cool and sweet liquid soothing to her parched throat. Lelouch did the same, although he downed the cup's contents in one huge swig.

The lively music, combined with the scent of freshly mowed grass and blooming flowers, the orange illumination from the setting sun and the invigoration from the refreshing drink lulled both of them into relaxed states. Shirley sneaked a glance at Lelouch, who was once again smiling in the indolent and complacent manner which was reminiscent of the time where she almost admitted her feelings for him in the concert hall nearly a year ago. However, she could tell that there was something different this time. There seemed to be an aura of wistfulness around him, and she wondered if it was because they were graduating from Ashford soon.

Shirley paused for a bit, and then she quietly slid her hand into Lelouch's, her supple fingers filling the gaps between his before gripping his hand softly. Lelouch made no visible reaction to her action, which was slightly disconcerting yet encouraging to her. _"At least he didn't jerk his hand away,"_ she thought to herself. Lelouch truly bore no vestiges of unfriendliness anymore. "Thank you, Lulu. You made me happy today" Shirley said softly.

"What did I do?" Lelouch asked her, a look of befuddlement on his face.

"You came back," Shirley replied simply. Lelouch raised an eyebrow at her. "You weren't being yourself lately. But now you're back. Thank you." The willowy girl hesitated briefly, and her cheeks turned red before adding. "I've missed you."

Lelouch did not answer. His heart leapt at her response – as though it was yearning to respond to her, much to his confusion, and he grasped her hand tightly. Heartened by his lack of negative reaction, she slowly leaned her head towards his shoulder and rested it against it. This time, Lelouch blinked and looked over at Shirley, but made no comment. How long they had spent time in that position, Shirley did not know, but it felt like eternity to her. _"That was tantamount to a semi-confession and he hasn't shown any hints of rejection. It's time,"_ Shirley took a deep breath before shifting in her seat and raising her head from his shoulder. "Lulu," Shirley spoke, still holding his hand. "Do you still remember back then in the concert hall? I told you I had something important to tell you."

"I remember," Lelouch returned slowly, with uncertainty in his voice. He knew what was coming, and he wasn't sure whether he wanted to hear it. He was uncomfortably aware that the rational voice in his head was compelling him to reject it.

"And you asked me whether it could wait, and I agreed, right?" Shirley pressed on, buoyed by his reply. Lelouch inclined his head without speaking a word. "I think I've waited long enough. It's time," she whispered, her grip tightening around Lelouch's hand, and he clutched her hand in return.

"Lulu… I… The truth is…" Shirley tried to get the words out of her mouth, but like her previous attempt, she was stuttering. Shirley shook her head slightly to steady her thoughts. "The truth is… I like you, Lulu. I really like you… a lot," she finished and she crossed her fingers behind her back as she tried to measure Lelouch's reaction. There was no surprise or shock evident on his expression. Were her feelings that obvious over the past few years? Lelouch kept his silence and Shirley could feel her apprehension rising. "Lulu?" she asked hopefully, trying to get an answer from him.

"Shirley…" Lelouch closed his eyes and he involuntarily squeezed her hand, causing her to wince slightly. He had dreaded but also anticipated this moment for months ever since he agreed to return to Britannia, for their feelings would only be hurt in the long run if he reciprocated her emotions. _"Just tell her that you can't accept her as anything more than a friend. Reject her,"_ his rational part of his mind urged him. However, no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get those words out and instead gave a different reply. "I… can't give an answer right now. I'll tell you when the dance ends, alright?" He wanted to give himself any bit of time more to consider a different response. A pang shot through him as he witnessed Shirley becoming teary-eyed and he realized his words could have been interpreted as he did not want to be with her, but he was being polite in his rejection. "Shirley…" He did not know what else to say.

"It's okay, Lulu," Shirley sniffed miserably as she brushed at her eyes in an attempt to get rid of her tears. "After the dance, then," she gave him a sad smile, which was still alluring even in sorrow. Lelouch hated himself at that time as a tear rolled down her cheek. He wished that he could wipe it off her face, but once again the chains of his mind restrained his heart, and he did not do it.

"Let's continue," Lelouch said feebly as he stood up and Shirley, whose hand was still wrapped in his, followed suit. He led her to the dancing area, which was considerably less crowded now after nearly an hour. The music track playing was now a slower piece. _"Perfect for waltzing,"_ Lelouch thought as they settled into a close hold again. Thought then turned into action as Lelouch decided on doing so, leading Shirley's movements in a slow waltz. _"She must have learnt dancing when she was younger"_ , Lelouch realized as she followed Lelouch's moves almost perfectly. She seemed so different from the bumbling girl who couldn't even cook a simple bowl of pasta.

Shirley's eyes were downcast as they danced quietly around the circular area. Lelouch could feel his guilt increasing as he examined the normally cheerful girl looking incredibly despondent. He could sense his other emotions building up, fighting to break free of the grip of his logic-driven mind, his heart screaming at him to accept Shirley's feelings. He knew he had undoubtedly, somehow, fallen for her, but he could not simply abandon his intention to steer clear of romantic relationships, despite how much he yearned to do so. As though Shirley could sense his worried gaze, she looked up into his concerned eyes and beamed reassuringly, despite herself.

At that moment, Lelouch could feel himself going breathless, his heart thumping wildly in his chest as he was once more entranced by Shirley's lustrous smile. He remembered why he loved her smile so much. It was so alluring and bright... Instantly, all his bottled up feelings surged towards the boiling point. Self-reproach. Affection. Angst. For one of the rare moments in his life, Lelouch wanted to push all of his analytical, well-thought out plans and logic to give in to his whirlpool of rising emotions.

Suddenly, Lelouch realized that the music track was over, and he found himself bending over Shirley, who was leaning backwards against his arm. Time seemed to pause for them both, as they exchanged stares, wondering what was on each other's mind. "Shirley," Lelouch breathed into her ear tenderly, causing her to shiver from a mix of excitement and nervousness. His mind was still warring with his heart, the latter slowly and surprisingly getting an upper hand for the first time in years. The auburn-haired teenager searched for any trace of emotion on Lelouch's face. It seemed to be getting nearer to her. Too near.

An overwhelming outpouring of endearment for the girl before him finally overridden Lelouch's mind, and without a second thought, he kissed Shirley. His lips met hers, and her peridot green eyes growing extremely wide in stupefaction. His eyes were closed, but his breathing was slightly heavy. Slowly but surely, Shirley's eyes began to close too as she finally melted into his arms. The prince could feel Shirley's arms wrapping around his torso as she returned the kiss passionately. He could smell her lemon and lavender scented hair, which was almost intoxicating to him, but he concentrated on blocking everything out. He did not want this kiss – this moment of weakness on his part, to end.

They finally broke apart after what felt like eternity to them. Shirley was gradually getting aware of more noises in the background – scandalized whispering, shocked mutterings, loud whooping and exuberant cheering. It then hit her that she and Lelouch more or less kissed in the view of the entire school and she blushed furiously and attempted not to look at her schoolmates. Lelouch smirked as he noticed Shirley's flustered state. "Shirley," Lelouch called softly. Shirley blinked and looked up into his twin amethyst orbs. "Do you know my answer now?" Lelouch asked affectionately, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. A slow smile began spreading on Shirley's face as she nodded in understanding; her face now a shade of burning crimson. Her eyes were starting to be filled with tears again, but they were tears of joy – and Shirley made no effort in drying them as Lelouch led her out of the dance area.

As she walked away from the courtyard entirely, she could witness the reaction of her friends and Lelouch's fans. Gino was clapping exaggeratedly, his face spilt in a silly grin while Kallen and Suzaku were beaming at her. Rivalz gave her the thumbs up while Milly seized the microphone and began rambling about how Shirley finally made her move after two years of liking Lelouch. Miya and the rest of Lelouch's fan club looked beyond outraged, a crumpled plastic cup of overflowing fruit punch clenched tightly in the former's shaking fist. Shirley paid them no mind as Lelouch once more whisked her away, the soft touch of each other's lips still in their minds. Perhaps today was a good day after all.

* * *

Within minutes, Shirley and Lelouch reached the doors of Lelouch's home. There was a momentary pause as they exchanged grins, still holding hands with each other. "It has been a long day, Shirley. Goodnight," Lelouch said softly. He hesitated for a moment, and then he reached upwards to caress Shirley's cheek. The lithe swimmer felt like her dreams came true – as a matter of fact, they had. Still smiling, Lelouch opened the door to his home and released her hands. He was about to step in when Shirley called out. "Goodnight, Lulu. And um…" her voice trailed away and Lelouch shot her a puzzled look. "Um… I love you, Lulu," she said bashfully, her cheeks coloring as she fought to look Lelouch in the eye.

A warm sensation began spreading throughout Lelouch's body. "Love you too, Shirley," he whispered softly, but loud enough for her to hear. Shirley returned the smile as she closed the distance between them slowly and this time, Lelouch knew what she wanted. They shared another kiss, although it was a brief one. "I'll see you tomorrow," Lelouch assured and gave her hand a small squeeze. Shirley nodded and turned around before walking away. Lelouch allowed himself to indulge in watching her back slowly disappearing from his view before he sighed, his heart aching a little, and entered his home, only to find Jeremiah staring at him bemusedly, his muscular arms folded tightly across his chest.

"That was… an interesting display, Your Highness," Jeremiah commented neutrally. Lelouch rolled his eyes as he removed his blazer and bowtie. "I thought you mentioned that you were avoiding having relationships with anyone on Ashford, because you would be returning to Britannia in a few months' time."

"What you've just witnessed… wasn't part of the plan," Lelouch said lamely in a low voice. He glanced around the room. "It's highly likely that we'll be a couple now. I can't tell her we can't be together after we've admitted our feelings."

"So why did you, Your Highness?" Jeremiah questioned, his brows furrowing.

"I acted on my emotions. I couldn't resist her. I can't believe that I just threw my rationality out of the window though," Lelouch admitted, brushing his fringe aside. "Now I may regret it since, like you said, I'll be going back to the homeland soon."

"It's not unnatural for men around your age to act like that, Your Highness."

"I know that," Lelouch snapped in annoyance. "But I'm supposed to be better than them. And now I have deal with this as well before I return."

"Well, why not bring her back to Britannia with you? The National Britannian Ball is only days away from your graduation from Ashford after all, and you need a dance partner. She seems like a good one."

"Are you suggesting that I ask her to go to the homeland with me?" Lelouch asked slowly, frowning as he did so. He did not want to leave Shirley behind, and that the only solution was for her to go with him, but he had some uncertainties about the idea of bringing her with him to Britannia.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah shrugged nonchalantly. "It would be a good opportunity for you two to see whether you are in love or it is just typical puppy romance after all. If you two could live with each other for an extended period of time… well, nothing beats staying together to test how you two will fit into each other's everyday life."

"You may have a point, but Shirley returning with me to Britannia… there might be some issues. I would be exposing her to the life of a Britannian royal, and that isn't exactly all sunshine and rainbows."

"Oh, there will definitely be some nobles who would have their feathers ruffled by seeing a commoner with you. But I doubt you'll give a damn about them, after spending two years around you. You're quite leery of the Britannian aristocracy in general," Jeremiah countered, grinning at his liege. "Besides, if you truly want to be together with her, it is inevitable that she has to learn that you're a prince. Why not sooner than later? As for security… the Sword of Akasha is gone, and you and I know that we'll protect her to the best of our abilities. What other problems can there be?"

Lelouch contemplated Jeremiah's decision, turning the idea over and over in his mind. While the emotional part of him immediately screamed at him to take up the suggestion, the analytical bit of his mind insisted on taking his time to mull over the wisdom of the plan. "Thank you for your suggestion, Margrave Gottwald. I'll consider it. Now if you excuse me, I need to see Nunnally," Lelouch abruptly crossed the living room of his home, passing the nobleman wordlessly as he bustled towards his little sister's room.

Lelouch found Nunnally still awake, her small hands folding an origami crane. Numerous origami figures rested on her bedroom's table. She looked up the instant her door was opened, and upon recognizing her older brother, her face spilt into a wide smile. "Big brother! You're back!" Nunnally scooted over to him and hugged his midriff.

"Hello, Nunnally," Lelouch grinned as he stroked Nunnally's sandy brown hair. They spent a minute or two of comfortable silence in that position before Nunnally could detect that the prince had something to tell her. The princess looked up at her brother questioningly as she disengaged reluctantly from him. "Nunnally… can I ask you about what do your opinion of Shirley?" His question did not seem to catch her off guard for she showed no sign of surprise. Instead, she appeared to be in deep thought the instant he voiced his question.

"Hmm… Shirley? She seems to be a sweet and caring person. She can be quite clumsy and shy, but I believe she's very nice and I have no problems about getting along with her," Nunnally said slowly, observing Lelouch, who looked more relieved as the words spilled out of her. "Big brother… I've actually heard the conversation between you and Jeremiah outside."

"You did?" Lelouch furrowed his brows together, patiently waiting for his sister to elaborate.

"Well… none of you bothered to keep your voices down…"

"Okay, so you did. What about it?" Lelouch chuckled.

"I think Jeremiah brings up a good point. Don't let a good girl like Shirley fall from your grasp. You love her, don't you?"

Lelouch paused for a moment. "I think I do. Wait, there is no 'think', yes, I do love her." Lelouch exhaled a little as he mulled over his emotions. "There's no denying it. She has become a part of my life. I'd hate if she were gone…"

"Then go for it, big brother. You should have just gone on, regardless of my opinion. I'm content as long as you are happy."

"Nunnally…" Lelouch's voice broke a little. His expression softened as he stared at her, a strong emotion overwhelming him.

"Yes, big brother?"

"I'm sorry that I have to leave you behind," Lelouch called out tenderly and he knelt down before reaching out, grasping his sister's hands gently. "I'll entrust you to Sayoko while I'm gone. I'll retrieve you once I've confirmed that the Emperor has given me the document containing my conditions and his signature. We can still keep in touch over the computer." While he was slowly beginning to grow less resentful of his father, he still did not trust his word that easily. It was for the best if he ensured that the Emperor kept his promise again.

"Big brother…" Nunnally did not know whether to cry or smile, and instead settled for another embrace with her beloved sibling. She hated to be apart from Lelouch, but she decided against trying to persuade her brother to let her go with him, for she knew he would not be at ease if she did so. "I understand. Please don't take too long before you come and get me, alright?"

"I promise you that it won't take long, Nunnally. I promise."

* * *

 **Three months later, The Holy Britannian Empire, somewhere in Pendragon…**

Ex-duke Calares turned over in his cot for what seemed to be the twentieth time that night. The damn thing was nowhere as comfortable as his deluxe king-sized bed in his luxurious mansion, but he supposed that he would never experience such opulence again, ever since he was arrested and thrown into prison by Cornelia li Britannia, the second princess, and Schneizel el Britannia, the second prince and prime minister of Britannia. Right now he was merely a dead man walking, awaiting for his execution. He doubted that it would be painless, for the Emperor appeared to abhor them greatly. Calares supposed he couldn't fault him, after all, the Sword of Akasha was more than a nuisance to him throughout his rule, even if they did not kill his wife. He thought he had covered his tracks well about his involvement in the Sword of Akasha's activities, but either he thought wrong or the Emperor's children were much more capable than he estimated.

Calares was a well-built man with reddish-brown short ear and moustache. He was slightly tall and often had a stern expression. Unlike most of the Sword of Akasha members, he was a capable military commander and led several expeditions against Britannia's enemies. He took pride in his competence and was often scornful of his lazier comrades. However, apparently that was not even near enough to excuse him for his so-called crimes, and Calares cursed the heavens for the series of misfortunes that befell the Sword of Akasha. Not only their leaders have been executed, but the most experienced members – the cream of the crop, had either fallen in the assassination attempt of Lelouch vi Britannia and Nunnally vi Britannia or captured by the Emperor's children. Damn that Margrave Gottwald and his accurate intuitions, for he prevented the success of their assault on the Aries Villa. And now, whatever remained of the once glorious organization was being hunted down like dogs, the proud nobles fleeing before the wrath of the Emperor and his children. The end of the Sword of Akasha was near.

The thunderous sound of explosions and gunfire rudely interrupted Calares's forlorn thoughts and he immediately sat up. Never would he imagine that he would hear such sounds in the prison, with the exception of the execution area, which was thankfully a good distance away from his cell. Shouts and screams of panic echoed wildly and he shivered as he attempted to shut out the near deafening noises. A trio of prison guards along his cell's corridor yelled among themselves as they gathered their weapons – a mixed collection of submachine guns and rifles and they marched cautiously towards the commotion.

"What's going on?" Calares demanded loudly of them. They did not even deign to reply him as they sped past his cell. Calares huffed in annoyance, staring at the dark grey walls of the prison, and then the blood chilling sound of agonized screams and gunfire, with the sound of heavy bodies dropping on the floor, met his ears. The ex-duke winced and tried to cover his ears to no avail.

Just when Calares thought his eardrums would burst, the cacophony ceased. There was a growing sound of leather boots clacking firmly on the prison's stone floor and Calares discerned that there was someone approaching him. Calares did not have to wait long, for he suddenly found himself face to face with a tall man in regal garb. The ex-duke was not short, but this man towered over him easily. He sought to look at the individual's face for any hope of recognition, but he had a mask, which was pure white with a gold circle along where the face should be, and its top was adorned with a series of spikes, forming a crown of sorts. There was a smudge of blood on his mask, which the mysterious man wiped away casually with his dark gloved hands. His clothing and cape was pure white as well, with gold trims and he carried himself confidently as though the world was centered on him. Polished gold and silver pauldrons weighed on his shoulders, although the figure showed no sign of bearing their heavy weight. A symbol of a golden greatsword pointing towards the sky, complete with seven golden stars forming a semi-circle around its hilt, was adorned on his cape. Behind him were a dozen men, wearing dark plain uniforms and carrying military-grade rifles as they marched silently behind the masked figure. He radiated a strong aura of majesty and raw power. Calares could feel the mysterious masked man's gaze on him and he felt puny, almost unworthy of the attention that he was bestowing him. He was baffled – he used to be a duke, the highest rank a Britannian noble can get, for crying out loud! How could someone make him feel so small?

"Ex-Duke Calares," the masked man spoke. His voice was distorted, perhaps by design of his mask or electronic means. Calares could not even place if it sounded male or female. "You were arrested under the charges of being a member of the Sword of Akasha and supplying the organization with funds and weaponry, were you not?"

"Yes, I was," Calares answered. For some reason he could not bring himself to lie to this magnificent being. "Are you the executioner? Have you come to kill me?" He dared himself to ask.

"Executioner?" Calares's question seemed to only amuse the masked man as he threw back his head and guffawed heartily. Calares merely blinked in confusion. "Oh, no. Ex-duke Calares, I have not come to take your life away. In fact, I have come to give you a chance of being… reborn." The mysterious individual finished dramatically.

"Who _are_ you?" Calares stared at the subject of his awe and perplexity. If this was a member of the Sword of Akasha, surely he would have noticed him before! A man carrying such an atmosphere of magnetism and charisma would have been easily noticeable.

"I am the new leader of the Sword of Akasha. I have come to free all of you under these false claims of treason," the masked man announced in a booming voice which carried across the prison. Many inmates started peeking out of their rust and grime encrusted bars excitedly. "You may call me Infinity, for soon my power would be limitless and beyond!" He said haughtily. "I beseech of you, ex-duke Calares, to join me in my quest to resurrect the Sword of Akasha!"

"I would like to, Infinity, but even if I did, I am no longer an aristocrat and I would never reclaim my nobility," Calares pointed out, heaving a heavy sigh. His heart yearned for revenge, but he knew that even if satisfied his desires, nothing but an empty life would await him.

"You are mistaken, Calares," Infinity pointed out. Calares raised his eyebrows questioningly at the masked man. "For I do not merely seek to reestablish the Sword, but I also wish to overthrow the very Emperor of Britannia!" The ex-duke's eyes widened, his eyes fixated on Infinity in wonder and incredulity. "I promise I will reinstate each and every single one of you, who were unjustly stripped of your titles and thrown into this forsaken place!"

Cheers erupted among the inmates, many of them watching the masked individual eagerly. "But first, I seek your aid and cooperation as fighters and soldiers so that we can realize our dream!" The ruckus died down a little and muttering broke out, for many of them were nobles who had little experience in fighting. Some of them served the military before, but most of them were clueless about soldiering, partly because they found it distasteful. Calares ignored the distressed mumbling, for he was one of the former and had nothing but disdain for the latter.

"What's better? To struggle, to fight for your dreams or to rot in your cells, awaiting execution like a man without dignity?" Infinity challenged, sensing the doubt and skepticism rising among his potential troops. The mutinous murmuring ceased and Infinity smiled under his mask. "That's better. Not to worry, all of you will be provided with more than adequate training and equipment. Now, ex-duke Calares, will you accept my offer?" He turned towards the ex-nobleman.

"You speak the truth, Infinity," Calares agreed as he rose from his cot. The new leader of the Sword of Akasha then produced a key from one of the corpses of the now dead prison guards, which he used to unlock Calares's cell. The ex-duke stepped out and stood beside Infinity. "I pledge myself to you, Infinity. May the Sword of Akasha flourish."

"Indeed," Infinity laughed triumphantly, rubbing his hands together exuberantly as he stalked across the prison corridor, releasing more prisoners from their captivity, all of whom scampered eagerly beside him. "Now, let's allow the whole world to know, shall we? Let them know that the Sword of Akasha has returned."

* * *

Author's Note: And here's the big problem - Lelouch isn't aware of this when he returns. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Honestly I don't think I did the romance bit very well (sadface), in fact I think the pairing was a tad too rushed (but I think it's necessary for the story to progress). In my defense I never really appreciated works of romance to begin with (Ironic, here I am writing this!). Or maybe I'm just being too hard on myself. Nonetheless I really hoped that I did the pair some justice :/

Anyway, if there are any Kallen x Gino fans somehow reading this fic, I have to say that it's not that I dislike the pairing. Honestly I think they're fine and might even work out, but I thought Kallen's reaction to him would be natural since, well, they just met and she still is somewhat leery of Britannians at this point. I pretty much threw in Kallen stepping on his toes just for humor's sake.

Honestly I initially wanted to show the Sword of Akasha's (SoA for short) return only when Lelouch is reunited with his extended family in Britannia, but I felt that it would be too 'out of the blue' and showing their ressurection here would add a better ending note to this (hooray?)

In case anyone was wondering, yes, Infinity (cheesy name alert!) is meant to be an 'opposite' of Zero. Even his name is the opposite of Zero (Infinity vs Zero/Nothingness). In my opinion, he's fairly easy to picture in your mind. Just think of someone in a Zero costume (albeit taller and wider), except that its colour is white instead of black/dark blue, a bunch of spikes forming a crown on the top of the mask and heavy plate shoulder armor on his shoulders, plus the symbol of the SoA on the cape (The great sword and seven stars).

I chose white because white represents purity, in a way, so it symbolizes the SoA's misguided beliefs of purity of blood. The colour gold is associated with grandeur and confidence. Truthfully I think the idea is rather cheesy, but it's crucial that he is masked and I couldn't think of a better way to represent him.

Do let me know what you guys think about this, nonetheless. Frankly speaking, I think this part of the story is the most delicate part, since it serves as a bridge between the more light-hearted chapters in Ashford and the more dramatic ones later one.

 **Important Note:** I'm heading to Tokyo and Osaka from the 5th of April till the 14th. I've just realized I've uploaded nine chapters in six weeks and I'm starting to feel fatigued. This will be a good break for me, I guess. Sadly, I would not be posting any chapters during my trip to Japan. The tentative date for the 10th chapter's release would be around the last week of April, maybe sooner if I can write fast (and well) enough.


	10. The Revelation of a Lifetime

Author's Note: Anddd I'm back from Japan, at long last. Hooray. I got a new figurine of Lelouch, and two new Shirley figs. Feels a little odd having three figures of the same character (Shirley), but oh well. Can't complain. I should stop before I start rambling about my trip, at least not here in my author's note.

Anyway, I have to say that I have no idea how schools work in Japan or the United Kingdom/United States. I pretty much made up the first bit of this chapter based on my experiences and… nothing. This chapter is a little short, unfortunately. But I'm quite satisfied with most of it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass in any way.

* * *

 **Chapter 10**  
 **The Revelation of a Lifetime**

Finally, the day for the graduating students of Ashford academy to collect their results slip has arrived. Summer was soon approaching and spring was in its last dying moments. Groups of students trooped to the school hall to receive their report cards. They were wearing the Ashford academy uniforms for the last time, and graduating students staying at the academy were given a few days to clear the dormitories.

Multiple snaking queues of students, segregated based on their class, were waiting patientlyin the hall, patiently waiting for their names to be called in alphabetical order before they could receive their results. Some of them were talking animatedly and nervously among themselves, while others were either comparing their report cards and grades or quietly waiting for their turn.

"Rivalz Cardemonde!" wheezed the aging Mr. Jones, the history professor of class 3-D. The blue-haired adolescent in question bounded forward keenly and took his seat. The balding man passed the student his report card casually. "Satisfied?"

Rivalz's eyes were downcast as he stared at his grades. They weren't that bad – a mix of B's and C's, without a single A in sight. "I'm a tad disappointed, but this will do," Rivalz managed as he thanked Mr. Jones. Rivalz rose from his seat and walked away.

"Next… Shirley Fenette!" Mr. Jones cleared his throat, coughing a little. Shirley, who was chatting with Sophie and shooting covert looks at Lelouch, jumped up enthusiastically and jogged to the front of the hall. The longtime history professor stretched his arms upwards lazily as he handed the report card to Shirley. "Are you pleased?"

"Yes, Mr. Jones. Thanks!" Shirley scanned her results carefully before her face broke in a smile and she ran towards Lelouch. She had scored a few A's and the rest of her grades were B pluses. She had studied hard for the examinations after all. "Lulu!" she sang cheerfully. Shirley almost collided with her startled boyfriend, who was on the verge of tripping and dropping his report card before he managed to balance his lanky frame at the last moment.

"Judging from your reaction, you must have done quite well, Shirley," Lelouch chuckled. Shirley nodded and enveloped him in a tight hug, leaving him breathless for a moment or two. "Watch the ribs," Lelouch gasped breathlessly as he picked Shirley's report card from her loose grip and studied it. "Hmm, your grades are not bad. Not bad at all."

"How about you, Lulu? How did you do?" Shirley asked eagerly, trying to peer at Lelouch's report card. Much to her annoyance, he kept it out of reach easily with his longer limbs and taller height. "Come on," she pouted and tugged on his arm.

"I did fine," Lelouch replied and he tossed his report card in a lazy arc towards Shirley, who caught it effortlessly. Shirley frowned for a moment as she briefly scrutinized it, then her eyes enlarged in amazement.

"All distinctions! And you called it fine?" Shirley spluttered indignantly. While she knew that Lelouch was quite smart despite his only decent grades in class, which were caused by his uncaring attitude, scoring all distinctions for the examinations was rather extraordinary. Her eyes roamed the rest of his report card, and there was something that caught her eye which nearly made her burst out laughing. It read, _"Additional comment: I would give this student a 'F' for physical education – Villetta Nu, Gym Teacher of Ashford Academy."_

Lelouch shrugged nonchalantly. He never cared for his grades in the first place, as he was already well-aware of the most of the things the professors teach in Ashford since young. "Well, I expected the results," Lelouch admitted, with a hint of haughtiness in his tone. "Even that little smart comment by Villetta", he added, and they shared a brief laugh. If Shirley and Villetta could agree on anything, it was that Lelouch was simply abysmal in physical activity. He glanced around the crowd of students buzzing among themselves. "Shirley, do you mind if we go somewhere else more quiet? There's something I want to talk to you about in private."

"Eh?" Shirley blinked at the prince, her curiosity piqued. Lelouch returned the gaze, sincerity plain in his amethyst eyes. "Sure thing, Lulu," she said, before Lelouch grasped her slender hand and gently pulled her away to the rooftop garden.

* * *

The moment the couple reached the rooftop garden, Lelouch gently released Shirley's hand and walked over to the light blue-painted railings. Shirley titled her head, studying Lelouch as he stared calmly at the school which they had attended for three years. The cherry blossom trees, planted by the over-enthusiastic gardening club, were still blooming during the last moments of spring, its light pink petals gently falling around them. That, combined with the fresh scent of flowers and the light breeze, created a sense of tranquility which helped both of them to relax. How long they spent time like that – gazing at the academy serenely, Shirley did not know and might not have minded, if Lelouch did not tell her that he had something to discuss with her privately. It had to be something of great importance if they had to be out of earshot from the other students, and even she found her patience wearing thin as time passed.

"Lulu," Shirley finally broke the silence. Lelouch did not look back at her, but she knew he was listening nonetheless. "Is something bothering you?"

"Not quite," Lelouch answered. He turned himself around so that he was facing her. "I just wanted to ask you a question, Shirley." Lelouch paused for a moment, noting Shirley's growing puzzlement. "Shirley… what do you see in me?"

"Huh?" Shirley gaped at Lelouch. She did not expect this question to be raised after they had spent close to three months dating each other. A sense of foreboding started rising within her. "Why do you-" Shirley was cut off as Lelouch gently placed a finger on her lips.

"Just tell me, Shirley. I want to know," Lelouch requested. His voice was tender and Shirley could see the desire in his eyes. Shirley slowly nodded as she thought of how to give her answer, and she decided just to speak her mind. She believed that honesty was a key part of a stable and loving relationship.

"To be honest, Lulu, I don't know," Shirley admitted. She reached up to his face, caressing one of his raven locks. His breathing quickened slightly. "It started off with curiosity… after seeing what you did during that traffic accident with the old couple and that arrogant man two years ago. I wanted to know you better then…" her voice trailed off. Lelouch did not blink – his attention solely fixed on the orange-haired adolescent before him. "I guess I grew to appreciate you despite your edges. Perhaps it was my keenness to understand you evolved to fondness. Nonetheless, I fell in love with you, Lulu. I love you as a whole. Although you can be quite frustrating at times, with your bad habits like gambling" Shirley added the last sentence, and Lelouch chuckled, shaking his head. "How about you, Lulu?"

"What?"

"It's only fair that I get to ask the same thing!"

"Oh, right," Lelouch muttered. He drew in his breath and Shirley waited expectantly for his answer. "I guess I don't really know either." Lelouch winced and smirked at the same time as she gave him a playful pinch on his arm. "When I first saw you, I didn't think much of you. However, over the years, as we spent time together… I found that you slowly crept into my life, despite all the silly stuff that you do."

"Such as?"

"Remember the cooking fiasco when you were inducted in the council?

"You're digging up ancient history, Lulu," Shirley laughed, the memory returning to her. A cherry blossom petal fell squarely on her head, and she lightly brushed it aside.

"Of course, there were some events which were a lot more serious," Lelouch continued. "Like the concert in NHK hall. Your words back then probably changed my life forever."

"It did? I can't remember what exactly I said back then…." Shirley scratched her head ruefully.

"Are you serious? It was sound advice." Lelouch shot her a look of exasperation. " _You should put the past behind you and let go. Only then you can look to the future and move on, right?"_ The prince recited in his mind.

"My memory's not too good," Shirley said defensively. "But I'm still glad that it helped you a lot. Wait, how did it-?"

"You'll know soon enough," Lelouch replied, shrugging. If all goes according to his plan, she would know everything about his past soon. "As I was saying… you became a part of me, as much as Nunnally. I couldn't imagine it if you were gone," Lelouch finished softly. He watched as Shirley once again started to have tears of emotion pooling at the edges of her eyes. "Crying again? I can't understand why your eyes are so leaky," Lelouch jested and Shirley punched him on his shoulder.

"You idiot," Shirley giggled as she regarded Lelouch fondly, ruffling his hair as she settled into an embrace with Lelouch. She then slowly leaned in and Lelouch immediately understood what she wanted, and he lowered his head before kissing her fully on the lips. They would have continued like this perhaps forever, until a loud sound of a camera capturing a picture reached their ears. Immediately, they jumped apart and looked for the culprit, who was none other than Milly. The curvaceous blonde was grinning widely and held a large, sleek camera in her hands.

"Prez!" Shirley protested indignantly, her face turning red as a tomato. "That's a private moment of my life!"

"This will go well on the Ashford Alumni gallery!" Milly cackled diabolically as she sped off with the camera, leaving a flustered Shirley and an exasperated Lelouch behind, who wondered when their friend would grow out of her silly antics.

"Never mind that, Shirley. I doubt Milly was serious about posting it online," Lelouch coughed. He had another matter to bring up to Shirley, and this one was much more important. He had to see Shirley's answer to his previous question first, and he could not find any fault in her response. But first, he had to find an opening. "By the way, what are your plans now after Ashford academy?"

"Hmm? Well… I thought of enrolling into one of the local universities around here," Shirley answered as she thought of the possible tertiary education centers she could enter with her grades. Truthfully, she wasn't sure what she wanted to have a major in, but she did not have any other plans either. "What are your plans, Lulu?"

"Well… do you remember the time when I told you that my father wished to see me and Nunnally again?" This statement caught Shirley's attention and she nodded. "I decided to heed your advice. I'm going to see my father again."

"That's great!" Shirley smiled, glad that Lelouch was able to let go of his resentment and reconcile with his father. Then it hit her – his father was in Britannia and Lelouch was in Area 11. "Wait… does that mean you're going back to the homeland?"

"Yes I am. I'll be going back to Pendragon soon," Lelouch replied slowly. Shirley's green eyes drooped a little. "And I don't think I'll be coming back to Area 11, Shirley. So…" Shirley looked increasingly sadder as she could detect a great deal of hesitation and apprehension in Lelouch's tone.

"Lulu," Shirley spoke, her heart heavy in her chest. She stared at her feet dejectedly. "Are you suggesting that we should break up?"

"Break up?" Lelouch sounded positively aghast at the thought. Shirley looked up in a mixture of surprise and hope. "No, Shirley. I was thinking of asking whether you wanted to go to Pendragon with me."

"With you? Just the two of us alone, in Pendragon?" Shirley questioned disbelievingly. It was almost like a dream come true to her. She had fantasied about the future where she and Lelouch would live together, but she did not expect such an opportunity to come by so soon. "For how many days?"

"Well, Jeremiah will be with us, but more or less, yes," Lelouch affirmed. He shifted from one foot to another tensely. "You can stay with me for as long as you like. Would you like to?"

"Oh, Lulu, this is so unexpected, but I would love to!" Shirley hopped excitedly on the spot, but a sudden thought struck her and made her pause. "Hold on a moment. How about the air tickets?"

"Already have them," Lelouch instantly replied. His right hand shot into his pocket, grabbing three tickets and showing it to Shirley.

"How…?" Air tickets for last-minute flights were rather expensive, and while it was nice that she did not have to pay for her own, it still felt unfair that Lelouch had to bear the costs.

"I have my methods. Don't worry too much about the tickets, Shirley," the prince shrugged casually, knowing what she was thinking.

"Oh… umm… I still have to inform my parents first." Shirley recalled that her parents wanted to bring her to Pendragon for a short vacation for her birthday before she enrolled into a university in Area 11, and wondered whether they would object to this change of plans or the idea of her staying with Lelouch. Although they had expressed interest in meeting him, Shirley never had the time to fix an appointment where both Lelouch and her parents could meet.

"Sure, go ahead. The flight's tomorrow at five-thirty in the evening," Lelouch replied. Shirley smiled at him and she fished in her pockets for her cell phone, stepping several feet away from Lelouch as she dialed her father's number. Hopefully her father would be available to pick up her call, although he should be working by now.

"Hello, Shirley," her father, Joseph Fenette finally answered the phone. Shirley was surprised to hear her mother's voice in the background. Shouldn't her father be at his work place?

"Hi, Dad," Shirley greeted warmly. "Is that Mom I hear in the background?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes," Joseph answered. "We both decided to take a day off today. Oh, how are your exam results?

"Huh? Oh, right…" Shirley muttered, mentally chiding herself for forgetting to inform her parents about her results. Of course they would want to know about it. "It's pretty good. I got three A's and five B pluses."

"That's excellent!" Joseph exclaimed, pleased to hear that his daughter did well in her examinations. "You don't sound too happy, though. Is something the matter, my dear?" Shirley smiled. Trust her dad to be so perceptive.

"Oh, I'm fine actually. The thing is that… um… I'd like to visit Pendragon with my boyfriend." A long, awkward silence ensued, until Joseph spoke carefully.

"When would that be?"

"I'll be going tomorrow. I'll be staying there until you two arrive at Pendragon too." Shirley could hear some fumbling noises on the line, and she wondered what caused it.

A new voice answered her unvoiced question. "Shirley, it's your mother here," Mary Fenette paused for a while before taking a deep breath. "You do know that we're only going to Pendragon six weeks later, right?"

"I'm aware of that. Why?"

"… I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay alone with a boy for so long. We haven't even met him." Shirley could imagine her mother giving her a look of askance, if she were next to her. "I have to say I'm not comfortable with the idea at all, Shirley."

"I know why you're worried, mom, but Lelouch is trustworthy," Shirley assured her mother. She could understand why Mary was so reluctant to approve of such an idea from her mother's point of view, "He won't do anything to me. We'll be fine and happy just being together. Trust me."

"I don't know-" Mary began, and then there was the sound of the phone being grabbed again, and Joseph's voice came back on the line.

"I'll trust you and your judgment, my dear," Joseph informed Shirley. "Don't be so anxious, Mary. I'm sure Shirley could handle herself." Shirley could hear her mother quieting down. "I guess we'll see you in Pendragon in six weeks' time. And really, do try to arrange a meeting between us and Lelouch when we get to Pendragon. He must be really great if he could fascinate you this much."

"I'll make sure of it this time! Thanks dad!" Shirley beamed, although she knew her father could not see it. Joseph ended the phone call and Shirley hummed a light tune to herself as she slid her phone in her pocket.

"Lulu!" Shirley called out animatedly. She half-jogged to the waiting dark-haired prince. "My parents are agreeable. So what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"We have to be at the Narita International Airport at three in the afternoon. The flight's schedule for a departure at five-thirty, so that means we'll land in Pendragon before when it's two in the afternoon over there. Time zone differences," Lelouch rattled off, having calculated the flight duration and arrival time long ago. "We'll have time to sleep during the flight. And also…" Lelouch watched Shirley's expression cautiously. "We're going to meet my father on the day we land."

"What?" Shirley blinked twice. She did not expect to meet Lelouch's father so quickly. Now she thought of it, it made some sense since he was going back to reunite with his father after all. "That's fast."

"You don't mind, do you?"

"Oh no, not at all! I'm just a little… nervous. How's your father like?"

" _Abrasive, bothersome and wretched,"_ Lelouch refrained from saying these words aloud. Lelouch shook his head and smiled at his girlfriend. "Relax, Shirley. Just be yourself, and I'm sure he'll like you." Truth be told, he could hardly care if Charles did not take a liking to Shirley, as long as he does not dislike her or actively try to separate them.

"Alright. I just can't help but feel skittish about meeting your father so soon."

"You'll be fine. Jeremiah will be driving us to the airport tomorrow, just be at the front gates of Ashford at 2 o' clock by then, with your luggage fully packed."

"Hold on a moment. What about Nunna?" Shirley cocked her head to the side, confused. She had assumed that the third ticket was for Nunnally. Why wouldn't she, Lelouch's little sister, be coming along with them? For a fleeting second, Shirley could have sworn that Lelouch looked sorrowful. She blinked and the expression of sadness was gone.

"Nunnally will be joining us later. She won't be coming with us now," Lelouch replied softly. _"She will return once I made sure that the Emperor hands over the signed written documents with my conditions."_ Lelouch switched the topic to a less sensitive one. "Speaking of packing the luggage, I need to pack it now. See you." Lelouch hesitated for a moment, then gave Shirley a swift kiss on her cheek.

"Farewell, Lulu!" Shirley gushed. Even after dating him for nearly three months, Shirley can't help but blush after the kiss. The two parted ways. Lelouch congratulated himself for his success, although there was a growing sense of trepidation within him. The prince was puzzled. He was going back to his homeland, the Sword of Akasha was gone, Nunnally was safe, would not be used as a tool by his father and would eventually join him, and Shirley would be by his side.

So why did he still feel so uneasy?

* * *

 **The next day, The Holy Britannian Empire, Pendragon International Airport**

Lelouch sat glumly on the padded bench along the pristine airport's shopping area as he watched Shirley fret over which dress to purchase in the department store. Their small pile of baggage rested on the marble floor next to his feet. He tapped his foot impatiently. Initially, he wanted to accompany her on her 'short' shopping trip, which she insisted on after he mentioned that they would be attending a premier ball this evening. He even proposed that she might want to purchase some new clothing. He added that they would be meeting his father there as well. After being bombarded with questions about how she looked in a particular dress and visiting nearly twelve different stores all over the airport, Lelouch had submitted to his flagging stamina and aching legs altogether and elected to rest instead.

Lelouch glanced at his watch and he realized that nearly an hour has passed when Shirley's shopping had started. Jeremiah strolled towards the young prince leisurely after he had scouted the area for possible dangers and sat next to his liege. "I suggest that you should get used to it, Your Highness," Jeremiah resisted the urge to laugh after spotting the almost sullen expression on Lelouch's face. "That's not uncommon of women, especially those around her age." Lelouch merely sighed, not bothering to reply the Margrave, who then tried to coax the prince to talk to him through another question. "By the way, when are you planning to reveal to her that you're the eleventh prince?"

A devious smirk started growing on Lelouch's face. "I'll keep it as a surprise until the ball starts this evening," Lelouch declared, careful to keep his volume down. His mind started to scheme about how he should do it.

"You're going to give her the shock of her life, Your Highness," Jeremiah remarked. He could not decide whether to feel amused or sympathetic towards Shirley. It was going to be quite a bombshell for the ordinary girl, after all. "Would that be wise? I doubt it will be an entirely pleasant revelation for her after all."

"I know that," Lelouch replied, his smug smile fading. "But the imperial palace and meeting my father would be the greatest proof that I am a member of the royalty. Even if she does get displeased, she won't stay that way for long. I know her well enough."

"Already thought it all out, Your Highness?"

"Of course I did. By the way, I assume you'll be chauffeuring us to the imperial palace?"

"Yes, Your Highness. I'll be attending the ball as well to keep an eye on you."

Before Lelouch could reply, an instantly recognizable voice reached his ears. "Lulu, I'm done!" Shirley called out, a white paper bag dangling on her right wrist. She paused for a while when she noticed Jeremiah sitting next to Lelouch, and then she nodded respectfully towards him. Shirley tried not to feel disquieted as she recalled Jeremiah's superhuman capabilities during the hostage incident a year ago. _"At least he's the one protecting us,"_ Shirley reassured herself.

"Ah, Shirley," The prince rose to his feet, smiling amiably. "What did you buy?"

"This," Shirley hopped forward and displayed the bag's contents to Lelouch. Although the clothing was folded neatly, he could discern that it was a flowing, strapless white dress with a dark navy blue ribbon around the midriff area. He supposed that it would fit the formal dance later on.

"Very nice," Lelouch remarked. His eyes flickered to his watch again. They might not be punctual if they did not hurry up. "Shirley, there has been a change of plans." Shirley titled her head. "We're going to the ball straight, so you should change into the dress here and now."

"So soon?" Shirley exclaimed. She felt unprepared for such a big event – the school's spring dance was one thing, but a high-class ball was on a totally different league! And she would be meeting her boyfriend's father there too.

"You'll be fine, Shirley," Lelouch assured her, sensing her anxiety. "If we want to make it on time, you have to wear it now." Shirley nodded. Punctuality plays an important role in giving a good first impression, and she would definitely like to leave one on Lelouch's father. Without another word, Shirley turned and left. Lelouch observed her as she walked towards the washroom. He was highly anticipating the look on her face when they entered the imperial palace's ballroom.

* * *

"Now, Lulu, is this really necessary?" Shirley pouted. The orange-haired teen was wearing the dress she has just bought, as per Lelouch's request. She had a black blindfold tied around her eyes, completely obscuring her view as she and Lelouch were on their way to the Pendragon Imperial Palace. They were seated comfortably in the leather backseats of a dark red sedan which Jeremiah was driving.

"You won't regret this, Shirley," Lelouch promised, his hand tightly grasped around hers. He was dressed in white formal trousers, jet black dress shirt and a white jacket. Shirley was admiring his outfit when he abruptly wrapped the blindfold over her eyes before marching her over to the car, starting the trip even before she could say a single word of protest. "It's a surprise."

"Aren't we going to the ball?" Shirley questioned. She resisted the impulse to lift the blindfold a little to peek at her surroundings. "Is there another change of plans?"

"Oh, no, we're still going to there. You'll understand once it's over. Trust me, Shirley," Lelouch replied, squeezing her hand. "It will be a night you will never forget." Jeremiah coughed loudly in the driver's seat, but chose not to say anything.

"I-If you say so, Lulu," Shirley quietly compiled, her brows furrowing. She lost track of the time when the car slowed. She frowned as she heard the sedan's windows rolling down and an authoritative voice reached her ears. They had reached the front gates of the imperial palace and the still blindfolded girl was unaware of that, of course.

"Halt! Display your identification papers," an imperial guard demanded, stamping his ceremonial spear on the ground to emphasize his authority. Shirley turned her head curiously at the guard, who started a little when he saw she was blindfolded.

"Here you go," Jeremiah smoothly handed over the required documents, bringing the attention of guard to him. "As for the passengers…" Jeremiah fished in his coat's pockets before passing an envelope to the overzealous guard, who opened it instantly. The man instantly paled once he saw the Emperor's seal and signature on the letter. His eyes swept through the letter's contents.

"Everything seems to be in order. You may pass," the guard saluted sharply and stepped back, gesturing at his fellows. The gates yawned opened. Jeremiah rolled the windows back up as he stepped on the accelerator, the car entering the palace at an almost lazy speed before stopping at the main entrance of the palace.

"I'll join you later, You- Lelouch," Jeremiah hastily amended himself in mid-sentence. Lelouch wordlessly opened the car door, exited the vehicle and gently pulled Shirley along with him. The blindfolded girl nearly stumbled as her white heels met the crimson carpeted ground. Nobles and imperial guards alike shot the pair suspicious looks, some frowning as they spotted Lelouch. Lelouch ignored them as he patiently guided Shirley up the red-and-gold cloth covered stairs. He fervently hoped that none of them would approach him. Luck seemed to be in his favor, as the nobles kept their distance, although they persistently eyed them. Meanwhile, Jeremiah drove around the palace, trying to find an empty parking lot. It was slow progress, as the National Britannia Ball, held on the day when Britannia was founded, was perhaps the largest formal event of the year for aristocrats and royals of Britannia.

Lelouch and Shirley continued through the doors and halls of the imperial palace, eventually reaching a set of mahogany doors with elaborate gold carvings. They had arrived at the entrance of the grand ballroom. A pair of imperial guards flanked the doors, and Lelouch knew that he had to provide his name and Shirley's before they would admit them. He was also perfectly aware that the guards would announce their names when they entered. " _An opportune action by them to finally reveal my identity as Lelouch vi Britannia,"_ Lelouch thought as he temporarily released Shirley's hand. He walked over to the attentive guards, and passed them a slip of paper with his name and Shirley's, complete with his title, and the letter Jeremiah previously shown to the guards at the gate. It contained information about his restored status as the seventeenth heir to the throne, as he had abdicated his right previously, confirmed by the seal of the Emperor. One of the younger guards glanced at Lelouch, surprise written all over boyish features, but he quickly resumed his post conscientiously.

Shirley could detect the sounds of light ballroom music being played by a live concert band and the hearty chatter of people behind the doors behind him. Lelouch then decided that now was a good time to finally uncover Shirley's eyes. "I'm taking the blindfold off," Lelouch whispered in Shirley's ear and she almost shivered in pure exhilaration. He lightly unraveled the dark cloth around her eyes. Shirley blinked a few times, adjusting her sight to the sudden, bright yellow illumination.

"Where are we?" Shirley asked, looking around inquisitively at the grand surroundings.

"Pendragon Imperial Palace," Lelouch replied, smirking widely. Shirley immediately turned around to frown at him. _"So it begins."_

"Very funny, Lulu," Shirley muttered. _"The two of us in the Imperial Palace? That must be a joke."_ She gave Lelouch a light-hearted punch on his right shoulder. "Where are we, really?"

"I've already told you. We're at the Pendragon Imperial Palace," Lelouch informed her with a more serious tone. The prince Shirley stared at Lelouch in disbelief for a moment, then her eyes, wide with consternation, riveted to their surroundings again, this time paying closer attention to it. She noticed the beautiful paintings placed on the walls, the ornate gold-carved mahogany doors, the resplendent diamond chandeliers hanging on the ceiling and the immaculate banisters of the red carpeted stairs behind them, which were made of solid gold and polished to the extreme.

"H-how? I don't get it! What's going on?" Shirley asked, the pitch of her voice higher than usual. She was absolutely flabbergasted. She tried to wrap her mind around the fact that they, a pair of ordinary people, were in the very centre of the Holy Britannian Empire. A part of Shirley wondered if this was some sort of elaborate prank on Lelouch's part, but everything looked so real to her.

"I'm coming clean with you, Shirley. My name isn't Lelouch Lamperouge," Lelouch told his girlfriend grimly. Fully gone was his light-hearted demeanour, and he seemed nothing but utmost serious about it.

"W-what do you mean?" Shirley stammered uncomprehendingly. She was completely stunned by Lelouch's words and his suddenly stern behaviour convinced her that there was something of paramount importance about to be revealed. _"What does he mean? Not Lelouch Lamperouge?! What's happening?"_

Lelouch signaled towards the imperial guards, who were quietly looking at the scene unfolding before them. They understood the gesture and pushed open the doors, revealing an enormous ballroom, decorated splendidly and at least four times bigger than the function rooms back in Ashford. At the very end of the chamber, Lelouch could spot a large man with white hair and regal clothing resting on a cushioned chair, which was raised on a platform. His lips curled slightly as he instantly recognized the man and his eyes narrowed.

One of the guards announced in a stern and booming voice, which carried easily over the commotion of the room, "Announcing the eleventh prince and the seventeenth heir to the throne, Lelouch vi Britannia, and Miss Shirley Fenette!"

* * *

Author's Note: And on that note, I'm ending this chapter. With a cliffhanger. I hope no one's mentally throwing tomatoes at me for this cliffhanger *hides behind my chair*. Anyway, I have to say I wasn't _too_ happy with the interaction between Shirley and Lelouch on the rooftop garden, but honestly that was the best I could come up with… (sadface)

Damn, I just realised I lined up two major dances in the space of three chapters. I admit I lack creativity sometimes :/ How mortifying. Oh well... still, do let me know what you guys think. It's been some time since I've been writing, so I hope there wasn't any drop in quality or change in writing style.

Anyway, I have to regretfully inform you guys that this story _may_ face slower updates starting from this chapter. Emphasis on 'may'. Because I've found a job (hooray...?) while waiting for my military conscription, which is a few months away. Hence, instead of the usual once a week posting, it may be one chapter every 1-2 weeks instead. I hope that I can stick to the one chapter/week schedule, but with lesser time on hand, I rather not suffer a possible drop in quality for quicker updates. Hope you guys understand.


	11. The Britannian Ball

Author's note: When I conceived of this fic, this was one of the first events that came into my mind. I had always wanted to write this chapter, and at long last, here we are. You guys would be relieved to hear that there wouldn't be any cliff-hangers in this chapter. Or at least not any really 'evil' ones.

Honestly, I wasn't entirely sure of how Shirley would react to the big reveal. All I can say is that I tried my best to keep her in character... I hope that this chapter will be enjoyable nonetheless.

By the way, I've always wanted to do an ALL HAIL BRITANNIA speech. So yes, there will be one.

Oh, and to my guest reviewer of my last chapter... Happy belated birthday!

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or any of its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 11  
The Britannian Ball**

"What?" Shirley asked blankly, her peridot green eyes wide and unblinking. If her ears weren't deceiving her, the men who looked a lot like guards in front of her just announced her that the eleventh prince of Britannia was entering the ballroom with her. And the eleventh prince's first name was the same as Lelouch's, although his last name was different. Lelouch vi Britannia. _"Didn't Lulu just say something about Lelouch Lamperouge not being his real name?"_ Shirley thought suddenly. Her shocked mind took some time to put the pieces together. That only meant one thing. Her boyfriend, whom she dated for over a quarter of a year, was a member of the Britannian imperial family. He was a prince, to be exact.

Shirley's astonishment must have shown plainly on her face, for Lelouch gave her a reassuring grin, although that hardly helped to calm her nerves, and squeezed her hand. His smile bore a hint of sobriety and sadness. "My real name is Lelouch vi Britannia. And what the guardsmen say is true. I'm the eleventh prince and the seventeenth heir to the throne of the Holy Empire of Britannia." Lelouch informed Shirley solemnly, flicking his fringe aside with his fingers for dramatic effect.

"B-but how could you be-? A prince? H-how? Why?" Shirley stammered, swaying lightly on her feet. This was extremely surreal to her, but it explained a few things to her at the same time. Lelouch always had an aura of charisma and magnetism, and it was more than befitting for a prince of the royal family than a mere student. She stared at the face of Lelouch, the prince of an empire which had control over one-third of the entire world. "Why didn't you tell me? Or any of us?!" Her voice rose slightly with emotion.

"I'll tell you everything later, Shirley," Lelouch promised. His eyes flickered towards the waiting Emperor, who stared at him impassively through the doorway. "But right now we need to enter the ballroom." He ignored the bemused looks of the imperial guards, who were at least trying not to eye them pointedly.

"W-wait! I need more time to take all this in!" Shirley protested, her mind working furiously to make sense of the entire situation, although she did not resist Lelouch pulling her lightly towards the room.

"There's no time," Lelouch cajoled, noting how flustered Shirley was. "The very emperor of Britannia is waiting for us to enter." A bewildered Shirley complied quietly, for she had no idea what exactly was the best course of action either. She allowed him to guide her inside the ballroom and she tried to dismiss the butterflies in her stomach to no avail. Shirley was not only meeting Lelouch's father but the ninety-eighth emperor of Britannia as well. As the pair walked on the scarlet aisle towards Charles, surprised muttering broke out among the nobles, who were crowded along the path. It was heavily reminiscent of Lelouch's confrontation with Charles many years ago.

"He's alive…?"

"I can't believe it. I thought he died."

"It doesn't matter. He abdicated the right to the throne. What is he even doing here?"

"Are they reinstating him as the eleventh prince? How about his sister? I don't see her with him…"

"Who's that beside him? She doesn't look well-born to me…"

Similar to the incident which occurred nine years ago in the very same palace, but in the throne room instead; Lelouch paid the murmuring aristocrats no mind. His eyes were solely fixed on his father as he strode forward, but he was gripping Shirley's hand tightly. It hurt slightly for Shirley, but she was so caught up in the situation that she barely noticed the discomfort.

After what seemed like an eternity to them, they finished their walk and stood before Charles. There was a brief moment of strained quietness before Lelouch knelt down before his father, his twitching eye betraying his calm demeanour. Shirley blinked at the emperor, as she still could not believe that Charles zi Britannia was before her very eyes. Lelouch tugged at her hand urgently, snapping her out of her stupor as she realized that she wasn't kneeling. Instantly, her face turned almost as red as the aisle they were walking down and she dropped to her knees, wincing slightly from the sudden impact. Several of the patricians watching them shot Shirley looks of disapproval, but none of them broke their silence.

"Lelouch vi Britannia, eleventh prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, returning to be restored to his former position as the seventeenth heir to the royal throne, Your Majesty," Lelouch's tone was respectful and firm. Lelouch glanced sideways at Shirley. "And Miss Shirley Fenette here will be accompanying me for the dance."

"Lelouch vi Britannia, you shall be formally reinstated to your former position starting today, regardless of your past renouncement," Charles replied in an almost bored voice. While he secretly felt relieved that his son has returned safely, he needed to maintain his neutral expression. "As for the official documents regarding your conditions for your return to Britannia, you shall receive it right now," Charles continued, signalling one of the imperial guards flanking him, who retrieved a thick red-and-gold envelope, before kneeling before the emperor, offering up the envelope to Charles.

The emperor picked the envelope up and rose from his seat, walking down towards Lelouch, who held his two hands out, palms facing upwards. Charles passed the object to the prince, who felt a burst of elation rushing through him. "Welcome back to Britannia," the emperor finished, but Lelouch paid him no mind. His eyes were on the document which will ensure that Nunnally will be rightfully treated well when she returned. Charles merely nodded at Shirley briefly.

Lelouch's eyes were on the document which will ensure that Nunnally will be rightfully treated well when she returned. Charles merely nodded at Shirley briefly. _"All tasks at hand have been cleared. Shirley is with me, she finally knows about my lineage and knowing her, she'll most likely accept this in time. Furthermore, Nunnally will be joining us soon enough,"_ Lelouch thought to himself excitedly.

"Rise, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia. You may be dismissed now," Charles told his son. Lelouch didn't wait for another second before his hand grasped Shirley's wrist and tugged her away, trying to find an unoccupied table for themselves.

Shirley almost stumbled as the pair navigated through the throngs of noblemen. She could feel the intense, unfriendly gazes from some of the other nobles. She tried to shrug it off before Lelouch found an empty table. "Have a seat," Lelouch smiled at her, holding out one of the plush chairs.

"Thanks… Lulu?" Shirley said warily as she slowly lowered herself to the chair.

"You can still call me that, you know," Lelouch sighed, shaking his head. He supposed he could not blame her cautious behaviour. After all, she just discovered that he was not an ordinary person, but a prince of an empire. "I may be Lelouch vi Britannia…. but I'm still Lelouch."

"Why?" Shirley asked, staring into Lelouch's amethyst orbs. A mix of emotions showed on her face – displeasure from being kept in the dark for so long, bafflement at why Lelouch would be at Ashford and some awe at his true position. "Why didn't you tell any of us? Milly? Suzaku? Rivalz? Me?"

"Milly and Suzaku know," Lelouch admitted, brushing his fringe aside. "Her family supported us and they took us in after the war against Japan. Suzaku was one of our hosts when I was sent there to hide."

"Why did you need to hide? Why didn't you tell the others then?" Shirley pressed on. There were numberless questions in her mind she wanted to ask Lelouch.

"It's a long story," Lelouch sighed. "I'll tell you another time, perhaps after this ball. As for your other question, I wanted to keep my identity a secret to keep Nunnally safe."

"Oh. I suppose she's a princess too, then?"

"Indeed. She's the sixth princess and the seventy-second heir to the throne."

"Wow," Shirley leaned back against her chair, trying to digest everything at once. Her boyfriend was a prince of an Empire, and his sister, whom she had interacted with multiple times, was a princess. It was so surreal to her. "Should I start calling you 'Your Highness' now?"

"Please don't," Lelouch rolled his eyes at her. An icy quiet filled the air and dragged indefinitely. Lelouch sensed his trepidation rising. "Forgive me, Shirley. It was truly necessary for me to keep my identity a secret until this point." Shirley started to smile slowly. Lelouch took that as an indication that he has been pardoned, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "I suppose you're not mad at me anymore?"

"Honestly, I was unhappy that you kept it from me, but I know how much Nunna means to you. How can I still be mad at you after that?" Shirley cocked her head to one side. "Besides," She reached up, cupping his face between her lithe hands. She pinched his cheeks, pulling them apart slightly. "You're still my Lulu, aren't you?"

Lelouch jerked backwards in startlement. "I suppose I am," He gave a short laugh. "I hope everything's fine right now?"

"I guess so… except that they don't seem to look at me favourably, though," Shirley pointed out quietly, her eyes flickering over to the crowd of nobles. Some of them were sneaking glances at them, and she could read discontent on a few of their faces. "What's up with them?"

"Britannian nobles," Lelouch sniffed disdainfully, not even deigning to look at the aristocrats. "They're not exactly friendly. Pay them no mind, Shirley."

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen! His royal Majesty, Charles zi Britannia, ninety-eighth emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire will now deliver his speech!" An imperial guard flanking Charles declared. The entire ballroom was hushed as the mountainous emperor rose from the throne-like chair.

Charles gazed at his audience for a moment or two before addressing them. "Royals and nobles of Britannia, today marks the day when our glorious empire was founded! Every year, we hold the Britannian National Ball to commemorate this historic event." Charles paused, his violet eyes roaming the enraptured listeners before resting on Lelouch.

"We have come a long way since then. Now, we are undeniably the world's strongest superpower! All of you gathered here, you and your forefathers have undisputedly contributed greatly to the rise of our supreme nation! Eat, drink and be merry, for all of you are deserving of such indulgence! And remember this – men are _not_ created equal. While today is a day for celebration, when tomorrow comes, continue to fight, plunder and dominate our enemies! We shall evolve and seize our destinies! Eventually, the future would be ours!" The Emperor raised a gloved fist in the air. "All hail Britannia!"

"All hail Britannia!" the spectators chorused, many of which raising their glasses.

"All hail Britannia," Shirley whispered out of courtesy. Privately, she didn't follow her nation's Darwinist beliefs, but she felt compelled to at least show some respect to the empire. She noticed that Lelouch did not say a word, the prince's eyes narrowing at his father. She could detect intense dislike in them. "Lulu? What's wrong?"

"Hmm? Nothing," Lelouch said with a start. He ceased glaring at his father.

"I remember that you said your father abandoned you and Nunnally," Shirley persevered, tilting one of her brows. She knew she might be digging up painful memories, but she felt that he owed her an explanation after all. "What was that all about?"

"It all started with my mother," Lelouch replied slowly. His lips formed themselves into a grim smile. "Do you know who she is?"

Shirley racked her memory. Lelouch's last name was 'vi Britannia', and he mentioned that his mother was killed long ago. The orange-haired adolescent searched the depths of her mind for a deceased royal with a similar last name. Her eyes enlarged as she recalled an incident which she heard from the news a decade ago. "Empress Marianne?"

"Yes, she was my mother," Lelouch replied. "However, this story can wait until later. I'm sure you'll understand. It's not something I would like to recount for now." Shirley inclined her head. It must truly be an extremely distressing moment in Lelouch's past. "By the way, do you want to dance?" Lelouch stood up and held out his hand.

Shirley looked around the ballroom nervously for a second, before reluctantly nodding. It was not that she did not wish to dance with Lelouch; it was that the people surrounding them were unfamiliar and seemingly antagonistic, but she was willing to put that aside for now. Shirley grabbed Lelouch's outstretched hand wordlessly and rose gracefully to her feet, all sign of her previous clumsiness while making their way through the crowd gone.

Lelouch and Shirley made their way to the dancing area. They were far from alone in there, and Shirley thought she could recognize some of the people dancing as well, such as Odysseus eu Britannia, the crown prince of like the occasion held months ago back in Ashford, the pair settled in a close hold and began to waltz slowly to the music, played by a live concert band instead of a gramophone. The slow-paced dance heavily reminded Shirley of their first kiss, as Lelouch unexpectedly decided to kiss her in front of the entire school once they finished waltzing. Even the hostile-looking nobles reminded her of that occasion, except that instead of angry fans of Lelouch, it was a bunch of unpleasant-looking patricians. Shirley pushed that thought out of her mind by just focusing on Lelouch. _"Just relax and dance with him,"_ her mind ordered her body, which duly complied.

* * *

"What a surprise, I didn't know he was still alive," Kanon Maldini, the right-hand man of Schneizel el Britannia, remarked. He sipped his glass of fine wine as his bright blue eyes observed Lelouch and Shirley dancing, brushing a stray strand of his rose blonde locks aside. Kanon, together with Crown Prince Odysseus eu Britannia, Prime Minister and second Prince Schneizel, first Princess Guinevere de Britannia and third Prince Clovis la Britannia were sitting around one of the white-and-gold clothed tables in the ballroom. Also present was a petite girl with flowing red hair in her early twenties, wearing a modest white dress and huddling close to Odysseus shyly.

"What's probably more shocking is that he's accompanying another girl who's not Nunnally," Schneizel commented lazily. He was a lanky, handsome man with blonde hair and light purple eyes. He, like Kanon, was watching the reinstated eleventh prince dance with his dance partner, albeit disinterestedly. "She looks quite ravishing… for a commoner."

"Come on, brother, everyone has to have a romantic interest at a point of time," Clovis laughed heartily, his long blonde hair hanging loosely. His icy blue eyes flickered over to Schneizel, who did not reply and instead continued to watch the dance progress. "And one should be free to love whoever he wants to, isn't he?"

"I agree with Clovis," Odysseus said. No one gave the brown-haired prince a reply; although he was the eldest of Charles's children and first-in-line to the throne, many did not regard him very seriously. He was well-aware of what many said about him behind his back, but it did not overly bother him, partly because he knew that he was not very capable. "Don't you think so too, Emily?" Odysseus asked the girl beside him.

"I-I guess so," the redhead replied timidly. She was neither a royal nor a noble and was invited to the ball none other than Odysseus himself after the latter met her while he was strolling through the streets of Pendragon alone few days ago in his plain clothes. It rained heavily halfway through his wandering of the capital's streets, and he forgot to bring an umbrella. He sought shelter of a nearby house, which belonged to Emily. She invited him in whilst being unaware that he was a prince, and Odysseus took a liking to her after conversing with the former for hours while waiting for the downpour to cease. At the end of his brief stay, he introduced himself as the crown prince of Britannia and extended an invitation to the ball to the young woman to express his thanks. Emily was surprised and reluctant to accept it, but after sensing Odysseus's genuine sincerity, she had accepted it.

Guinevere kept her silence. The first princess, whose hair was the palest shade of brown, gave Emily a disparaging look for a fraction of a second, which none of the others noticed. She then turned her attention to Lelouch and Shirley, narrowed her green eyes dangerously at the dancing pair, her lip curled in disdain. With that, the small group of royals and nobles continued to remain silent while the dance carried on.

* * *

As the band finished their song, to polite applause from the audience, Shirley muttered to Lelouch quietly, "I need a break." Lelouch nodded in understanding and released Shirley from the hold, although he still held her hand, and led her back to their table. However, it now had two women seating on the chairs surrounding the table. Shirley frowned, their appearance extremely familiar to her, but she couldn't remember their names for the life of her. One was lean and rather tall, perhaps in her mid or late twenties. Shirley was considered fairly tall for her age, but there was something about this woman made her feel almost puny. She had indigo eyes, purple hair which fell loosely and a little past her shoulders and radiated an almost militaristic aura, much like coach Villetta, but more intense. However, unlike the nobles around them, she was far from antagonistic. Indeed, she was waving at Lelouch with a slight smile on her lips.

Shirley turned her attention to the other woman. This one was considerably younger, perhaps even around her age. She had a luxurious fountain of bright pink hair, which curled around her ears and cascaded to her waist level. Her indigo eyes sparkled with elation and affection as she regarded Lelouch, which was similar to the look Nunnally often gave her brother. Shirley then realized with a start that they were no other than the li Britannia princesses – the larger, purple-haired woman was Cornelia li Britannia, given the moniker of 'The Witch of Britannia' for her prowess in combat, and the other was Euphemia li Britannia, who was relatively unknown compared to her famous sister. In short, they were two royal princesses of Britannia, seating around her table and were expecting Lelouch and her to join them. Shirley almost shrank back before a small voice in her head reminded her. _"If you want to be with Lelouch, then you got to know his family."_ Shirley gulped and allowed Lelouch to guide her to the two princesses.

"Welcome home, brother," Cornelia said, her voice raspy with emotion as she placed her hands on Lelouch's shoulders. "You've grown so much."

"Nine years, Cornelia. It has been nine years," Lelouch replied softly, his voice trembling slightly as he regarded Cornelia. He wasn't very close to most of his half-siblings, but the li Britannia sisters were an exception. He practically grew up with Euphemia, who often had Cornelia watching her carefully and protectively like a hawk, and thus he was more than comfortable with the pair.

Lelouch's mind was jarred out of his nostalgic trip by none other than Euphemia, who basically tackled him by the side, enveloping him in a tight hug. "Oh, I've missed you, Lelouch! I thought you were dead!" Euphemia exclaimed. "What happened in Area Eleven anyway? And where's Nunnally?"

"This is a public event, Euphie," Cornelia chided her younger sister as she stepped in to separate the pair. "She raises a good point, though. Your name was in the records of the deceased after Area Eleven was conquered, together with Nunnally's. Did she… survive as well?" Cornelia asked, with a hint of hope and nervousness in her voice.

Lelouch hesitated. "I'm not sure," Lelouch decided to be dishonest for now. _"It's better to let Nunnally lie low for now until I retrieve her._ " He took a deep breath, gazing at the shocked faces of the li Britannia sisters. "We were separated during the war. I never managed to find her." Lelouch willed himself to at least look teary-eyed in an attempt to convince them. While he disliked lying to the people he cared about, Nunnally's well-being came first.

"I'm sorry to hear of that," Cornelia patted Lelouch comfortingly on his shoulder, noting his expression of remorse. The vi Britannia siblings were extremely close and it must be hard on Lelouch to be apart from Nunnally. Shirley titled her head as she heard Lelouch lie about Nunnally, but chose to remain silent. She trusted Lelouch implicitly, after all. "By the way," Cornelia continued, her eyes flickering over to Shirley, who stood quietly behind Lelouch. "Who's your dance partner?"

Lelouch looked past his shoulder and motioned Shirley to come forward, and she hastened over. "Cornelia, Euphemia, meet Shirley Fenette," Lelouch introduced. Shirley gave a weak smile and extended her hand for a handshake, which Cornelia promptly shook. The latter's grip was firm and strong. Euphemia did the same, although her grip was less stiff and more cordial. "I met her when I was schooling in Area Eleven and, well, we're together now, as you can see," Lelouch finished.

"It's an honour to meet you two, Your Highness," Shirley said politely. She had no idea what to expect from them, and she thought to address them as courteously as possible.

"Oh please, call me Euphie," Euphemia giggled. Shirley returned the smile, having taken a liking to the pink-haired princess. The slender swimmer finally relaxed for the first time since she entered the ballroom, for she found someone other than Lelouch who was amiable towards her.

Cornelia stared at Shirley for a second, before turning to Lelouch. "Lelouch," she said, adopting a serious tone, which caught Lelouch's attention. "We need to talk, in private. It's important." Cornelia's eyes flickered over to Shirley and Euphemia, who were now seating on the chairs and the latter struck up a conversation between them. Lelouch blinked and his sense of foreboding returned. If Cornelia deemed her subject to be best discussed out of earshot of her sister and Shirley, it must be unnerving indeed.

"Lead the way," Lelouch replied, his voice quiet and cautious. "I'll be back, Shirley. Hold on a moment," he added, glancing at his girlfriend, who looked up once Lelouch was about to move away. Cornelia nodded her head in affirmation and led him to the corner of the ballroom. It was not exactly the ideal place to hold a private conversation, but in a crowded room, the corner is the best possible place to do so.

Lelouch waited patiently for Cornelia to start speaking. "I'm not certain of how you managed to return, but I must say that you chose a bad time to do so, brother," Cornelia began in a hushed tone. She looked around at the nobles around them to ensure that none of them were eavesdropping.

"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked, his brows furrowing in deep thought. No matter how much he tried, he could not dismiss his growing apprehension.

"Earlier in the morning today, at two a.m., one of the most highly-secured prisons in Pendragon was assaulted," Cornelia informed him steadily. "When we arrived at the scene, the perpetrators were already gone. It appears that part of the prison wall was blown apart."

"The work of Britannian terrorists?" Lelouch inquired. Britannian terrorists were not unheard of, although they were relatively few in number as compared to Area Eleven.

"Perhaps it is. But that's not the disturbing part," Cornelia replied, straightening her back, looking at Lelouch in the eye. "Most of the inmates have died. They were killed by whoever attacked the prison." Lelouch frowned. This wasn't making any sense to him. Most attacks on prisons tend to aim to free its inmates. "But those that survived and escaped, or rather set free by the attackers, were those who were arrested previously due to their connections to the Sword of Akasha. Are you familiar with that term?"

The words hit Lelouch like a ton of brick and he nearly staggered backwards, staring at his sister. His expression was aghast and filled with dread. "More than familiar," Lelouch whispered frantically. He would never forget the name of the organization which killed his mother and tried to do the same to him and Nunnally. "A-Are you saying that the Sword of Akasha has returned?"

"We're not a hundred percent sure," Cornelia admitted. "But the fact remains that all one hundred and seventy-five inmates who escaped were related to the Sword of Akasha, whether they were active members or merely sponsors. Word hasn't gotten out yet of this incident, but most of us royalty are informed about it after it happened. And I don't have to mention that the Sword of Akasha despises royalty with commoner blood, do I? I assume that Miss Fenette is an ordinary Britannian? If so, it may also seem… that you picked the wrong date tonight." Lelouch remained silent as he tried to take all the information in. His fists were clenched tightly as he fought to remain calm. This had just messed up all of his plans on a catastrophic scale.

"I need to go now," Lelouch said abruptly to Cornelia, who understood his distress. "I'm sure you know why."

"I'm well aware of it. By the way, I'll do anything in my power to help you increase the security around Aries Villa," Cornelia was slightly guilty that Marianne died when she was in charge of the latter's royal guard. While Marianne did tell Cornelia to withdraw the guard, the fact that Marianne died did not feel good at all to Cornelia. She would do whatever she can to protect her children at the very least.

"Thank you Cornelia, but we shall discuss such matters another day. Perhaps tomorrow," Lelouch gave Cornelia a curt nod of thanks. "Right now, Shirley and I need to leave." Lelouch cast his gaze around the ballroom, searching for Jeremiah. The Margrave did say he was coming into the ballroom after all. After nearly ten seconds of looking around, Lelouch located Jeremiah standing near the exit of the ballroom. His mouth was set in a grim line and he trudged forward, returning to Shirley's and Euphemia's side, the two chatting animatedly.

"Wait, he jumped into the pool when he didn't know how to swim?" Euphemia asked. Both girls shared a giggle as they traded stories about their past. Shirley was talking about how she got together with Lelouch and brought up the memorable incident where Lelouch thought that she was drowning and dove into the pool although he had zero skills in swimming. Euphemia shifted towards Lelouch as he appeared. "Tell me, is that true, Lelouch?"

"Hmm? Yes," Lelouch replied distractedly, his eyes fixated on Shirley, disregarding his younger half-sister. "Shirley, we need to go now. It's urgent." Lelouch did not forget the fact that the Sword of Akasha has members in both nobility and is even rumoured to have a few members of the Britannian royalty involved. The longer they stayed in sight in such an event where both nobility and royalty are attending, the more uncomfortable he became.

"Eh?" Shirley asked. She recognized the combination of fear and worry in his amethyst eyes and she wondered what happened. "Why? Did something occur?"

"Yes," Lelouch grimaced. He leaned forward, seizing Shirley's wrist tightly. "We need to go right now. I'll explain to you later."

"Lulu," Shirley said. Her brows furrowed in unease. "You've been saying that a lot lately. That you'll explain things to me at another time."

Lelouch belatedly realized that what Shirley said was true. His mind travelled into the past, during their first date in the NHK concert hall, when he told her that he will explain Jeremiah being his bodyguard to her. It then fast-forwarded to the present day today, when the prince informed her that he will elaborate on his exile to Japan to her at another time. " _This is the third time and she deserves answers. But not right now. It's too dangerous_ , _"_ Lelouch thought. "I'm really sorry, Shirley. You have the right to know everything. But here is not the right place or time. We need to get back to my home, Aries Villa. I'll tell you everything once we reach there, okay?"

"If you say so," Shirley replied. She had a sinking feeling that what Lelouch would tell her later might be quite unpleasant, judging from his anxiety. "Let's go then, Lulu." Without another word, the couple walked swiftly towards the exit, and Lelouch signalled a curious Jeremiah, who promptly joined them as they exited the ballroom.

* * *

 **A couple of hours later, the Sword of Akasha's base**

Infinity, the new leader of the Sword of Akasha, pushed open the twin metallic doors leading to a vast, brightly lit chamber. An enormous oval mahogany table rested in the center of the room, and a flag bearing the icon of the Sword of Akasha, a great sword pointing towards the heavens with seven golden stars circling its hilt was hung above it. Gathered around the table were the individuals who held the top echelons of the organization – a mix of high-ranking nobles and even a few members of the royalty. They were located in the Sword of Akasha's newly established base on the outskirts of Pendragon.

The masked leader swept through the assembly, his regal cape billowing behind him as he gave each of the members a perfunctory nod before taking a seat at the head of the table. All eyes were riveted on him intensely, but he showed no outward sign of being bothered by such.

"Greetings and salutations, my fellow comrades," Infinity spoke, his voice resonating through his mask. "We are assembled here tonight to discuss the happenings at the National Britannian Ball. I assume all of you have already heard the news?" There was a murmuring of assent, and more than one person shifted in their seats. "Lelouch vi Britannia, the eleventh prince, has returned… with a commoner by his side, no less."

"We should attack now, Infinity," a feminine voice immediately interjected. Everyone else fell silent, having recognized the speaker. Guinevere de Britannia rose up, her face a mask of disgust and fervour. "They have only just returned, but surely they know of our revival by now. They will build their defences soon if we don't hurry. Strike now while the iron is hot!"

"I'm afraid that we cannot do that yet, Guinevere," Infinity replied calmly. The princess narrowed her eyes at the lack of title and respect in his tone, but if Infinity noticed it, he did not care.

"And why is that?" Guinevere challenged.

"That is because I… no, we need something from them," Infinity replied simply. He paused for a moment, but before he could continue, he was cut off once more.

"If that's the case, all the more we should head out to Aries Villa at once! We can capture them!"

"That's not the wisest move to make. While I am quite certain that they possess what I seek, there is still a small chance that they don't. The emperor will know what I'm looking for if I make a move on them, and may further complicate things by moving the object in question. Moreover, Aries Villa is only a short distance away from the imperial palace. I wouldn't want to risk total annihilation of our forces either."

"You mean we're just going to sit here and do nothing?" a colossal, barrel-chested man with short dark hair exclaimed, standing up from his seat.

"Patience, Grand Duke Ricardo," the masked man returned, careful to keep his voice level, refusing to let himself feel intimidated by the larger man. Despite his words, he was beginning to lose his cool, and he repeatedly reminded himself to maintain his impassive façade. Ricardo simply stared at his leader wordlessly. "I understand the concerns of you subordinates," Infinity addressed the whole room. "But in order to realize our dream of conquering the world, we need to stay our hand for now. This greatly benefits us all."

"We cannot tolerate a member of the royalty, especially one _tainted_ by impure blood, to be together with vermin like commoners!" Ricardo cried out, a look of pure disbelief and indignation on his face. "Both of them must go!"

"I'm not asking you to tolerate it, Ricardo," Infinity sighed. _"How long will it take for these morons to realize that?"_ he groused in his head. "I'm saying that we have no choice but to wait first, for we require something from them that would allow us to seize control of the empire, and eventually the entire world!" He took a deep breath to calm himself down, then continued in a more neutral, cooler tone. "Now, I know all of you are clueless about it and are probably wondering what is it that we so need from them. And I shall explain right now if you're willing to listen…"

* * *

 **Sometime later…**

"My lord, you asked for me?" a slim man, his face disguised by a mask which hid his eyes and nose, asked. Next to him was none other Infinity, who was sitting in front of a polished table with a computer. He resisted the urge to rub his eyes wearily. Explaining himself to the other Sword of Akasha members was far from easy, as they frequently interrupted and shot him questions. He supposed that it was to be expected of them, for they were mostly driven by their pride and fear.

The leader and his companion were in a dark, secluded room located somewhere in. They made sure they were alone and there weren't any eavesdroppers, for they were discussing confidential matters. The other man was not present at the meeting earlier, for his nobility rank was deemed as too low to be included in the council by the majority, which Infinity was not part of.

"Indeed, I did," Infinity answered lazily. "We're here to discuss two matters – the prison break earlier this morning and tonight's ball."

"Ah yes, the prison break," the man muttered. "You were quite dramatic back then, my lord. It was quite unlike you."

"The theatrics were necessary," Infinity chuckled. "It served as a method to further obscure my true identity, and to project myself as a confident, capable leader to the inmates."

"I suppose you're right," the other man cleared his throat. "Regarding the Britannian National Ball… it was an interesting night, don't you think, my lord?"

"It was, but Lelouch's return was hardly surprising," Infinity replied, flicking his gold-trimmed cape idly. "After all, we've predicted it and even orchestrated it to an extent."

"You're right, as always, my lord, but how about the girl that came with him?" his companion questioned, shifting in his leather boots uncomfortably. "We didn't take her into account, didn't we?"

"We could not have foreseen that. I thought Princess Nunnally would be with him," the enigmatic leader grimaced. "As for that girl… Shirley Fenette… I have nothing against her. However, it is likely we have to target her as well, to placate our own soldiers. It's a pity, really. She's quite a lovely young woman."

"You don't share the Sword of Akasha's belief of the purity of blood, do you, my lord?"

"My dear earl, surely you know me well enough. I do not subscribe to such old-fashioned and inane dogma."

"Then why have we resurrected the organization and taken over it, my lord?" the noble was confused.

"I had an ulterior motive. Do you still remember the Key and what does it give us access to?" Infinity smirked maliciously, although no one could see it under his mask.

"The Key?" the earl was still befuddled. "I understand that it allows us to utilize our ace in the hole, but we require people to operate it… I still don't comprehend your reasoning, my lord. If we needed men, couldn't we simply hire some mercenaries?

"Mercenaries? Hmph. I rather not rely on such rapacious people. At least the Sword of Akasha has reason to share our cause. I'd prefer fanatics to money grubbers."

"I see… However, wasn't the key confiscated by Marianne? We still wouldn't be able to use our trump card."

"Indeed," Infinity continued neutrally. The earl marvelled at how his master could be so calm talking about it, for most men would at least show some signs of anger. "However, it is quite possible that it is somewhere in Aries Villa. And that brings us back to the eleventh prince." He activated the computer screen in front of him, staring at a picture of Marianne, Lelouch, Euphemia, Cornelia and Nunnally, which was taken a decade ago in the Aries Villa.

"Are you planning to launch an assault on the Aries Villa, my lord? I would imagine that our new 'comrades' would be eager to do just that."

"An all-out attack? No, I was planning for something more subtle. We're going to send someone to infiltrate the place, and then kill them."

"But, my lord, surely he would expect such a move. How can we possibly sneak someone in? Besides, wouldn't the men get restless? I'd imagine that they would want something to do."

"I've anticipated this a long time ago. Our best agent is already on the move. And yes… you're correct. They were all but raring to assassinate them, and they were understandably agitated when I stopped them and attempted to explain myself." Infinity could sense his partner getting uneasy and he quickly added. "Don't worry, I'll throw our comrades a bone sometime soon to satiate them. Relax."

"Wait, our best agent?" the noble thought for a moment, then his eyes widened. "You mean-"

"Agent Haliburton," Infinity declared. "He has quite the innocent appearance after all. They'll never know what hit them."

"With all due respect my lord, are you sure he's ready for such a big task?"

"He has successfully completed all of his past missions quite admirably. I'd imagine that an intelligence gathering and assassination mission like this would be nothing too difficult to him although he never had a mission where he had to do both."

"If you say so, my lord. May I ask when would his mission commence?"

"Tomorrow," Infinity said, rubbing his leather gloved hands together exuberantly. "And if everything goes to plan, it will only be a matter of time before not only the Emperor of Britannia would kneel before my supreme might, but the whole world as well." He then retrieved a roll of newspapers, which headlines screamed _'The Return of the Eleventh Prince of Britannia'_ , with a picture of Lelouch emblazoned on it. The masked leader studied the photograph of the prince for a long period of time before muttering, "Enjoy while you can, _brother_ , for your days are now numbered."

* * *

Author's Note: Hmm, I suppose it may seem that I'm deviating from an active, straightforward conflict between the SoA and Lelouch. It's partly for the sake of the story. But for those who would like to see some action, no worries, the internal strife inside the SoA will mean that there's going to be some of them having ideas… which Infinity won't be happy about. Predictably, Rolo will be coming in next chapter.


	12. The Assassin from the Sword

Author's Note: And finally, all the main players are introduced in this chapter. We already have Lelouch, Shirley, Jeremiah (although he's going to be shifted to a supporting role), and arguably Infinity. It's time for Rolo's entrance, although I had to write a different backstory for him. It may seem a little off, but I assure you that it is necessary for the plot.

I'm actually a little confused about something. Is Lelouch's old home in Pendragon called the Aries Villa, or the Aries Imperial Palace? Or the Aries Palace? They've always called it the Aries Villa when I watched the anime, but some other sources claim it's called the Aries Palace. I'm going to stick with the name "Aries Villa" for now, though.

Ahh.. and there's going to be another character other than Rolo entering the story in this chapter. I suppose any Shirley fan would not be happy to see him, though, seeing how he almost drove her mad

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass in any way.

* * *

 **Chapter 12  
The Assassin from the Sword**

"What do you want to know?" Lelouch asked Shirley heavily. They finally reached Aries Villa, which was a good half an hour of driving distance from the Pendragon Imperial Palace. Lelouch was surprised to learn that his previous servants were still around since the villa was practically abandoned after Marianne's death and Lelouch and Nunnally's exile. Jeremiah told him that the emperor ensured that they remained in the hopes that Lelouch and Nunnally would return one day. Perhaps he was trying to make the villa remind Lelouch of his happier childhood moments. Too bad that attempt was a failure, as Lelouch couldn't find it in him to feel a single shred of joy in returning to the Aries Villa. He could be wistful or nostalgic about this place, but it was impossible for Lelouch to be elated when his mother died in this very house.

"Everything," Shirley immediately said. She sat up attentively on the plush red couch, her arms hugging a square scarlet cushion to her torso. The pair was in the living room with Jeremiah, who merely stood quietly. The villa was relatively modest as compared to the grandness of the imperial palace. Instead of having diamond chandeliers to light up every hallway, a simple yellow light provided illumination in the parlor. The stairs and its banisters were made of mahogany.

"Let me rephrase that," Lelouch coughed. Of course, she wanted to know everything about him. "What do you want to know first?"

"Oh, right," Shirley blushed slightly. "Why were you and Nunnally hiding under false identities in Area 11?"

"My mother, Marianne vi Britannia, was assassinated. I confronted the emperor about it and he sent me and Nunnally to Japan to hide from the other assassins while he attempted to solve the case," Lelouch began, pacing around the room. "The official reason was that we were exiled after I abdicated my right to the throne in a fit of rage after my mother died. He chose Japan to hide us because it was the least likely place to be attacked by any of the world's superpowers at the time," Lelouch grimaced, recalling how everything changed the moment Japan realigned their sakuradite policies against Britannia.

"That plan fell on its face when the Oriental incident occurred. I'm sure you're familiar with that term from school, it was mentioned during our history lessons," Lelouch said knowledgeably, to a nodding Shirley. "Nunnally and I were living peacefully with Suzaku in the Kururugi Shrine when the Britannians attacked. As you may imagine, it was quite a shock to us. We thought that the emperor didn't care about our lives anymore. I was worried that he would send people to ensure our deaths, so I created false identities for myself and Nunnally, listed our names in the records of the deceased and went to the Ashford family, who took us in because they supported us before my mother was killed."

"However, it appears that I was mistaken about the emperor. He never wanted any of us to die, he was forced into that difficult decision by his advisors and the need to not alert possible assassins to our location. He promised himself that he will search for us once the case of my mother's death was solved. Eight years later, he finally got to the bottom of it and discovered that it was the fault of an organization, called the Sword of Akasha. He executed the leaders and announced a manhunt for their members. At the same time, he sent Jeremiah, whom he trusted because he was a member of the royal guard in charge of protecting us, to find us in Area 11. He isn't fully human, in fact, he's a cyborg. He was severely injured while guarding us during the assassination attempt and was brought back to the world of the living with the aid of cybernetics. He found me in the student council room one day, just after we were planning for the school festival."

"Tying bootlaces," Shirley commented wryly, the memory of that moment coming back to her.

"Tying bootlaces," Lelouch chuckled slightly despite his less than cordial mood. "Yes, it was that time. Anyway, I was not very willing to trust the emperor so easily, and there were other complications of returning to Britannia so I told Jeremiah to wait until I graduate from Ashford while I tried to think of a solution. Eventually, I agreed to return after making the emperor accept my conditions, which are to ensure that Nunnally will have a better life here."

"So how was I part of the plan?" Shirley asked curiously.

"You weren't," Lelouch replied, his voice gentle. "At first, I didn't want to be emotionally attached to anyone since I would be returning to Britannia. But I just couldn't resist you, I guess. And I didn't want to leave you behind either, so I made you come to Pendragon with me."

"I see…" Shirley's voice trailed off. "Wait, so what's the problem now?"

"The Sword of Akasha. They have returned, according to second princess Cornelia."

"What are they anyway? I mean… what are they trying to do?"

"They are an elite bodyguard unit formed by my great-grandfather to protect his wife, Akasha. They were given special privileges and prestige due to their unique positions. It's too bad that over time they've grown haughty and prejudiced against those ranked lower than them, particularly the commoners. That was the reason why they killed my mother. Her commoner blood made her look impure in their eyes. Fortunately for us, their practice of hereditary roles, which allowed their offspring to join the Sword of Akasha regardless of merit or skill, meant that most of their members are nothing but a bunch of over privileged, lazy nobles. The Sword of Akasha was close to collapsing after Charles's empire-wide manhunt for their members. However, early this morning, a prison which housed many members of the Sword of Akasha was assaulted and they were set free. That means that someone had the capability and the resources to lay siege to a highly defended prison and free the Sword of Akasha members. In short, they have returned… and are likely out for our blood," Lelouch finished dramatically.

"Wow," Shirley blinked twice. She anticipated that there might be some problems when she noted the aristocrats' unfriendly looks towards her in the ballroom, but this was on a whole new level.

"They're after me as I'm the son of Marianne," Lelouch added grimly. "And they might be after you as well, just because you're attached to me and are a commoner." There was a momentary pause of silence.

"I thought such old prejudices died out decades ago," Shirley murmured, hugging her legs to her chest, which contracted due to a strong emotion – was it dread?

"Some things never change," Lelouch sighed, shrugging his shoulders squarely. "I'm sorry, Shirley, to involve you in all this."

"It's okay, Lulu," Shirley shook her head, her bright orange hair swaying from one side to another. "So what's the plan now?"

"You'll be safe as long as you stay here, Shirley," Lelouch promised. "The Emperor assigned several guards to this place a few months before we came here." He knelt down and reached out, clutching her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. The pair then stood up and Lelouch led her around the house. "It's getting late. I'll show you where we'll be sleeping."

Shirley paused in her tracks, her brows furrowing in confusion, causing Lelouch to stop as well. "We?" She repeated.

"What's the matt- Oh," Lelouch realized in mid-sentence. "We're having a shared bedroom. We're not going to do, well, anything. Just sleeping in the same bed, that's all." Although they have been dating for five months, they weren't that intimate to the point that they slept with each other yet. While Shirley was not exactly a prude, she wasn't sure whether she was ready for such a thing either. "What were you thinking of, Shirley?" Lelouch grinned slyly at her.

"Nothing," Shirley quickly said, hiding her reddening cheeks under her right hand. Lelouch smirked, his good mood lasting for only two seconds before he remembered the colossal obstacle standing between him and his happiness and life. He sighed and continued his path to his bedroom, with Shirley following him closely behind.

* * *

"Yes, Carine, I promise I'll catch up with you another time," Lelouch groaned into the telephone. His head was tilted towards his right shoulder, and there was a phone wedged in between his ear and shoulder. He woke up early in the morning only to discover that there were many nobles and royals alike who were calling the house's telephone line to know his story. Thus, Lelouch trooped down from his bedroom to the hall and crashed into a chair before answering the endless stream of calls.

Of course, Lelouch didn't tell them everything and did not mention Nunnally at all – after all, the Sword of Akasha did have members in such echelons in the past and he would not be surprised if they still did. He supposed that most of the callers were merely curious, but he suspected that one or two of them were trying to glean information from him. He considered ignoring all of the callers, but there was a small chance that he would be able to tell which one of them were his enemies. Right now he was dealing with Carine ne Britannia, fifth princess of the Holy Britannian Empire. She was the same age as Nunnally and had blue eyes, but unlike her, she had a rather aggressive personality and sported fairly long red hair.

Lelouch barely placed the telephone down when it rung again. The harried eleventh prince sighed loudly and picked it up once more. "Greetings, Lelouch vi Britannia here," Lelouch said in a bored and dull tone. "First Princess Guinevere? Ah, long time no see indeed…" He was quickly growing tired of answering telephone calls and hearing the phrase 'long time no see'. "I'm doing fine. Nunnally?" Lelouch paused for a brief moment as the first princess asked about his sister. "I lost her during the war. It happened when a unit of Britannian bombers attacked our location. A bombshell hit somewhere behind us and I lost consciousness… the next thing I knew, she was gone," Lelouch lied, and he even choked a little at the ending to make himself sound more emotional to convince Guinevere. "Yes, I've tried to search for her – of course, she's my only sister! Hopefully, I'll see her again someday…" Lelouch's voice trailed off as he spotted Shirley shuffling her feet towards him, rubbing her eyes blearily. She was clad in pink striped pajamas and a pair of cotton slippers. Her length of orange hair hung loosely, reaching her waist.

"Hold on a moment, Guinevere," Lelouch said as he covered the mouthpiece and shifted in his seat to regard Shirley. "Good morning, Shirley," Lelouch smiled at her. She returned the smile slowly, still shaking off the vestiges of her slumber. "Did you sleep well?"

"Well enough," Shirley mumbled. She bent down, her hands stretching towards her toes. "What's going on?"

"I think I'm going to be busy for a while with telephone calls," Lelouch grimaced. He was about to say more when an elderly servant with balding grey hair and dressed in the servants' attire of a white collared long-sleeve shirt, black trousers and a vest approached them.

"Pardon my interruption, Your Highness," the old man bowed at Lelouch. "And my lady," he added, glancing at Shirley. "The young man who has applied for a vacant spot of a servant has finally arrived. He's waiting in the parlor for an interview."

"Why do we need another servant, anyway?" Lelouch frowned.

"Mr. Klein has retired since six months ago, with the approval of your father, and we have been understaffed since then. The current applicant is quite skilled, I heard. He may be a good asset to the household."

"Well… I have my hands full here…" Lelouch's voice trailed off and his eyes flickered back to Shirley. "Shirley, how about you go interview the new applicant?"

"Me?" Shirley blinked in surprise. She did not expect such tasks to be given to her, especially deciding who should be employed to attend to the villa. "I don't think I'm suited to do such a thing. It's your home, Lulu."

"This place's going to be your home too, at least for quite some time," Lelouch informed her. He doubted that he would let her go back anytime soon, with the Sword of Akasha on the loose. "And I trust your judgment. Just think of it as doing a favor for me, alright, Shirley?"

"Alright, Lulu," Shirley agreed. "How do I start?"

"Firstly, you should change out of your pajamas into something more appropriate," Lelouch eyed her attire. "Once you're done, come back here and he will show you the way," Lelouch angled his head towards the elderly servant, his raven colored fringe shifting across his features. Shirley complied and headed back to the bedroom to get changed. She briefly wondered how the applicant would be like. Hopefully, he would be someone she could get along with.

* * *

"Ah, finally, a customer," a slim, dark-eyed young man remarked. Light spilled in from the open door of his trailer, illuminating his messy white hair and he brought his palms together repeatedly, the sound of clapping reverberating through the tiny room. He observed the clothing and mannerisms of the other person in the room. "And quite a distinguished one too."

"Enough of your childish foolery, mister," a woman in a formal dress sniffed disdainfully, her blonde locks hanging loosely. She cast a repulsed look at the walls of the room, the brown paint peeling off in multiple spots. The woman towered over the male seating in front of her and covered her features of her face with a mask which would not seem out of place at a masquerade ball. Her graceful hand dipped into her purse, which she clutched in her other hand, producing the insignia of the Britannian royalty, and a piece of fabric with the symbol of the Sword of Akasha, causing the only member of her audience to start. "I'm here for… business matters."

"A Britannian royal, with the Sword of Akasha?" the man asked incredulously. He then burst into a fit of hysterical giggles, disregarding the glares which willowy woman who sent him. "Very well," he managed to silence his laughter, straightening in his seat. "To what do I owe the pleasure, princess?"

"This," his patron replied, her lip curling in contempt as she threw two pictures, one of a raven-haired teenager, the other of an adolescent with auburn hair, her peridot green eyes shining innocently in the photograph, on his cluttered wooden desk. "I want them gone, mister."

"You may call me Mao. Mister makes me feel old," the younger individual muttered as he picked up the photos. He squinted at them and made a slight tsking sound. "So young… what are their names?"

"Lelouch vi Britannia and Shirley Fenette. Can you do it?"

"Ah, so is this a spat among the Britannia royalty? With the Sword of Akasha involved, no less. Oh, what a gleeful drama," Mao cackled wildly. "Well, I could, but I need to know more about them. And I'm sure that you're aware that there's a price…"

"They're staying in the Aries Villa. I'll provide you with what you need to enter there. And yes… your reward. A hundred thousand Britannian dollars."

"That little? I expected more from a royal…" Mao commented, smirking slightly. Sword of Akasha was well-known in the Britannian underworld. If she was both a member of royalty and the Sword of Akasha, and she still had to approach a mercenary to get rid of her targets, it must mean that there was something which prevented the Sword of Akasha or her personal forces from acting. Thus, Mao thought that she would be rather desperate to eliminate them and he never hesitated to try wheedling as much money as he could from his clients. After all, a mercenary's job is never that easy.

His client sighed with exasperation. "Two hundred thousand then. And I want you to torment him in particular. Crush him emotionally while carrying it out. I don't care how you do it, as long as you can accomplish it." Normally she would even consider negotiating with what she thought were lowly people, such as mercenaries like Mao, but he carried a reputation in delivering quick and satisfactory results.

"I can simply kill them, but going that far? That will be troublesome…" Mao replied a trifle hesitantly, reclining in his plastic chair. Assassinating a member of the Britannian royalty is far from easy, and going such an extra mile would make it a lot tougher.

"Ah, but here's the catch. If you do so, I'll quadruple the bounty. Eight hundred thousand. Record the whole incident and send it to me as proof, and I'll send you your reward. If I find it to my liking, I may even throw in a little bonus for you, to make it a million. How does that sound?" Mao's jaw dropped at the mere mention of the bounty increase. The royal smiled in triumph as she could sense Mao's reluctance vanishing. Wealth was always the weakness of mercenaries after all. "Remember to make them suffer."

"A million dollars. I would be a millionaire," Mao whispered, his eyes glazed over as he imagined the piles of riches awaiting him after his mission. "Consider it done, princess." Without another thought, he immediately began to piece together a plan that would meet his patron's expectations…

* * *

"Hi," Shirley said amiably with her trademark radiant smile. She had changed out of her pajamas into a comfortable outfit of a white bandage skirt and a pink sleeveless top. She was in the parlor, sitting opposite of the interviewee, in a comfortable single couch while clutching a clipboard to her chest The only thing between them was a coffee table. The interviewee was surprisingly a very young man – perhaps even younger than her. He had light brown hair and eyes a shade of violet extremely light that it was nearly pink. The youth was about her height and lean in build.

"Hello," the brown-haired teenager returned shyly in a small voice. He was dressed in dark trousers, light blue collared shirt, and black leather shoes. He stared at Shirley for a few seconds before averting his eyes quickly. "Um, here's my resume…" He dug into a small leather suitcase next to him, before producing several sheets of papers, which were stapled together and passed it wordlessly to Shirley.

"What's your name?" Shirley enquired, puzzled. She thought that normally an interview should start with exchanging names and handshakes.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Rolo. Rolo Haliburton," the young man managed. Shirley decided to skip the handshake after she noticed how timid he was. He almost reminded her of Nina, in a way. Both of them were just so introverted.

"I'm Shirley," Shirley noticed that the job applicant looked a little underfed. The slim girl passed him the clipboard together with a pen. On the board was a sheet of paper entitled 'Personal particulars of employee'. "Please fill in the form with your personal details, Rolo. I can call you Rolo, right?"

"Yes," Rolo replied, shrinking a little as he uncapped the pen and began writing quietly on the paper.

"Would you like to get something, perhaps some coffee?" Shirley asked kindly, trying to be cordial with him.

"No thanks, it's fine," Rolo said quickly. He took his eyes off the clipboard, sneaking another glance at Shirley nervously as she perused his job resume.

"Experienced in a variety of household chores – cooking, dishwashing, sweeping, ironing, sewing, mopping, doing the laundry and cleaning in general," Shirley read the documents. It sounded like he was fairly capable of being a servant of the villa, although she was curious why he would learn to do so many chores at his young age. She flipped the resume to the next page. "Oh…" Shirley glanced up cautiously at him. "You used to work at the orphanage?"

"I'm an orphan, actually," Rolo replied. It was the truth in a way – he never met his real parents and was given the last name Haliburton by his guardian. "And yes, I was helping out my orphanage in cleaning and everything… but recently we're short on funds, so I decided to find a job so that I can help them…" his voice trailed off, with a melancholic note in his voice. Rolo shook his head as he wordlessly handed the clipboard over the Shirley.

"Oh dear," Shirley said in a small, sad voice. She peered at the form with his personal details. 'Lyonesse Orphanage' was written neatly under 'Residential address'. Shirley scrutinized Rolo and realized that now she looked carefully, she should see that his clothing was a little weathered. _"The poor guy must have been finding a job for quite some time now."_ Although she reminded herself that she should not offer the job solely based on her sympathy, Rolo appeared to be a decent person and most importantly, he was equipped with the necessary skills as a servant. "You're hired, Rolo.'

"Thank you, Miss Fenette!" Rolo gave her a grateful and tired smile.

"Call me Shirley please," Shirley giggled. "Such formalities make me feel awkward. We're around the same age anyway."

Rolo nodded and heaved a sigh of relief, which Shirley thought was because he obtained the job. However, he lied about his past. Oh, he was an orphan alright, but he was taken under the wing of the Sword of Akasha's leader Infinity. Contrary to his seemingly innocent countenance, he was an accomplished assassin and spy sent by Infinity to infiltrate the Aries Villa and he had just passed the first barrier.

Rolo thought about his past before he joined the Sword of Akasha. He was told by the headmistress of the orphanage that he was found on their doorstep during a particularly cold winter day when he was a baby, with a letter probably written by his parents, who abandoned him, saying that he was to be named Rolo. He lived in the orphanage until he was eleven, accumulating skills in dull household tasks. When he was not in the orphanage, he would wander around the streets nearby, and eyed the children around his age, accompanied by loving parents and having warm clothes on their back, with much envy. How he wished that he had a parental figure as well, for he felt lonely in the old orphanage. It was not that living in the orphanage was terrible, but his withdrawn and quiet nature earned him little friends, and most of the other orphans tend to keep to themselves as well. Thus, he could connect to none of them.

It was a few days past the end of summer when a couple entered the orphanage with the intent to adopt a child. For some reason, after they had spent nearly a few hours on which child to adopt, they decided to select him. Rolo was ecstatic on that day, as he could finally leave his old, wearisome life behind and settle down with a loving family.

How wrong he was. For the first few weeks or so, he was treated well enough by his adoptive parents. However, they grew more bad-tempered over time and started to mistreat him, much to his bewilderment. For nearly nine months he put up with the increasingly cruel abuse - be it starvation, being made to do menial tasks harsh beatings, being denied water and even sleep. He tolerated it until one day when they battered him so severely that he felt like he was an inch from death, and that was when he snapped. He defended himself with the kitchen knife and somehow he ended up killing them both with it. It was horrifying for him, but at the same time, he reveled in it, to finally get back at his tormentors. He had stabbed and hacked at their limbs and torsos relentlessly despite their screams and pleas, which fell on deaf ears. " _They tried to break me. They tried to kill me. They betrayed me. They deserved this,"_ Rolo reminded himself repeatedly as he thrust the knife into their bodies.

Rolo was found kneeling in the house, beside their long exsanguinated corpses, caked with their blood by the police. The smell of decomposing bodies alerted the neighbors, who then contacted the cops. They took him into custody, but a week later, he was mysteriously set free by a tall, hooded man. Rolo did not know who he was, but he had the authority to bail him out regardless of the severity of his crimes. The man told Rolo that he took a special interest in him, and offered him to join the Sword of Akasha. Seeing that he had nothing else in life, Rolo did not hesitate to take up the offer. The adult called himself Infinity back then, and while Rolo knew his real name afterward, he was accustomed to simply addressing his leader by his codename.

From there onwards, he had trained for five years, honing his skills in combat and embarking on missions, which are usually related to assassination or intelligence gathering. He only answered to the masked leader alone, and this time, his mission was to find and retrieve a special key which was extremely critical of his master's plans, since it was confiscated by Marianne herself. However, Infinity himself did say that while the key was his first and foremost priority, his secondary tasks were to assassinate Lelouch vi Britannia and Shirley Fenette, for their very pairing was against the principles of the Sword of Akasha.

* * *

After what seemed to be an eternity to Lelouch, the phone calls finally ceased. The prince wiped his brow and took a deep breath. Now that the Sword of Akasha has returned, he needed someone trustworthy to protect Nunnally. Lelouch briefly ran through a short list of people that could be trusted with such a task in his mind, and grimaced. Jeremiah could do it, but he wanted the Margrave to stay in Britannia to guard him and Shirley. Suzaku has his own military obligations. Sayoko was already protecting Nunnally, but he wanted more protection for his little sister. There was only one choice left, and that was Cornelia. He had to admit to Cornelia that he lied to her yesterday at the ball about Nunnally's status, but he hoped that she would understand why he did so.

Without further thought, Lelouch dialed Cornelia's number, fervently praying that she would agree to his request. While the Sword of Akasha was based in Britannia and had little influence in Area 11, he could not take any chances with Nunnally's life on the line. Thankfully, Cornelia answered the call quickly enough.

"Cornelia speaking."

"Cornelia. This is Lelouch," Lelouch said in a low voice. "Are you alone right now?"

"I'm not, but I'm surrounded by my most trusted subordinates," Cornelia assured her half-brother. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"… Alright, but first, where are you right now?"

"I'm at a military base, about to board an aircraft headed towards the European war front. Why?"

"You mustn't go!" Lelouch almost shouted in the mouthpiece, startling Cornelia.

"Brother, it's a direct order from the Emperor. I can't simply disobey-"

"It's about Nunnally!" Lelouch interrupted urgently. He then realized that he was being too loud and there were many other people in the villa beside him and Shirley. The prince lowered his volume. "I can't say too much over the phone because there's a chance of being overheard."

"Nunnally?" Cornelia sounded surprised. "I would listen to you, brother, but you do understand that I can't just not show up in the European war front, especially after our father publicly ordered me to."

"Then we'll go to the imperial palace and have him to countermand that order," Lelouch replied curtly. He could sense Cornelia growing hesitant again, and he added. "Please, sister. It's really important, and I can't trust anyone other than you."

"Very well, Lelouch," Cornelia sighed. "I doubt the emperor will actually do that, but if you insist. We'll meet at the Pendragon Imperial Palace right now."

"He should understand," Lelouch said grimly. It would not make any sense for Charles not to care about Nunnally's well-being, after all, the effort the aging emperor put into finding them. "Yes, and please hurry. We can't afford to delay this any longer." He ended the call without another word and cast a look around his surroundings. He had to leave the security of his home and head out to possible danger, but it was worth the risk for Nunnally. However, the prince wasn't going to expose Shirley to such potential harm and decided it was safer for her to remain at the villa. After all, it was defended by a unit of imperial guards.

"Shirley," Lelouch called out as he put on his dark leather shoes. Shirley poked her head inquisitively around the corner. "I'm going to meet Cornelia, to discuss security issues." Even with the group of soldiers defending the villa, he could not compromise on the security standards of his very own home with the Sword of Akasha's return. It did not just house him - Shirley was with him as well. Thus, Lelouch opted to converse with Cornelia about whether she can afford any other troops to help protect him and Shirley. He would broach the subject if she agreed to secure Nunnally. "Jeremiah's coming with me as well. This may take some time… but don't leave the villa while I'm gone, alright?" He had already informed the roster of guards around the villa to be on the high alert.

"Sure, Lulu," Shirley felt a little disquieted after witnessing the serious expression on Lelouch's face. As Lelouch turned to leave, she touched him on the arm, causing him to pause. He looked at Shirley questioningly for a moment and she leaned in, planting a swift kiss on his cheek. "Be safe," Shirley whispered.

"You too," Lelouch returned. "Let's go, Margrave Gottwald," he added to Jeremiah, who was patiently standing in the doorway. Both males briskly exited the villa and made their way to the garage, where Jeremiah would drive him to the li Britannia residence.

Shirley sighed as she walked through the corridors of the villa. She did not expect that living with Lelouch would be so complicated. Dealing with the fact that he was a prince was hard enough, and now there were assassins after their lives as well. Of course, she still loved him wholeheartedly and had no regrets being in a relationship with him. She briefly wondered whether the members of the Sword of Akasha really thought what they were trying to do was correct. She shivered at the thought of them actually believing that their deeds were righteous. It smacked of fanaticism, and terrorists often had that trait. Negotiating with such overzealous people was often impossible, which meant that they had to fight for their lives. She was not inured to violence, and she found herself hoping that she would not be a burden on Lelouch's already heavy shoulders.

Shirley's feet guided her towards the gardens. Of all the places in the villa, the garden was the only place which she felt truly at home with. Oh, the bedroom was comfortable and luxurious, but there was something about the flowers and greenery that made her feel at ease. Since Shirley had so much time to herself, she tried to pick up gardening as a hobby. If Rivalz and the other student council members could see her, surely they would express disbelief or amusement at her attempts to cultivate the garden. After all, she was known for being clumsy and horrible at most chores. Hopefully, gardening would be an exception as she would hate to end up destroying the garden she so loved.

The lilac shrubs were still intact and lovely in the early summer of Britannia. They were her favorite flowers, especially since Lelouch gave her a bouquet of lilacs – a mix of violet and white ones. He told her that they were a symbolism of her to him, for the purple lilacs symbolises the first emotions of love, and the white ones represented youthful innocence. That was during the simpler times when he was merely Lelouch Lamperouge, and when they were dating in Ashford Academy, going to classes hand in hand, and ignoring the jealous looks the other girls were shooting her. It seems like those easier times were over. Shirley hummed a tune to herself, which was gloomy at first, and then it started to sound increasingly cheerful. Sure, their lives were in danger, but they can overcome it. If the Sword of Akasha has returned, that meant that they were vanquished before, and they can do so again.

Cheered by her own optimistic thoughts, she fetched a pair of gardening scissors and a small guidebook entitled "Gardening for Dummies." She was thankful that she was alone – if someone saw her reading a book with such a demeaning name, it would be quite embarrassing. The lithe swimmer pictured the student council – particularly Rivalz and Milly, in hysterics if they saw her right now. She banished the image; although she smiled a little at the thought of her old friends, and could not help but wonder what their reaction would be if they knew Lelouch was a prince. Lelouch told her that Milly and Suzaku already knew, but there were five other council members who were not aware of that. Most likely they would share her initial response – shock and surprise, and they would come to accept it eventually. Shirley shrugged as she knelt down by the lilac bushes, unmindful of the grass brushing against her thighs and started to prune the shrubs carefully.

Shirley's notion that she was by herself was wrong, as there was someone watching her unknowingly. Rolo was standing half-hidden by the doorway which led to the garden. He spied on her, observing her tending to the garden with care. _"Perhaps now would be a good time to accomplish the secondary objective_ ," Rolo's hands dug into his pockets, fingering the ceramic switchblade he has kept there. _"The distance between us is probably lesser than 12 meters. I can sneak up to her easily, and I can cover her mouth with my hand, muffling her, while I bring the knife up to her neck. That would be a quick kill."_ Rolo mulled over the wisdom of murdering her right now while the other secondary target was away. Perhaps he should do it another time. Infinity told him that it would be best if he retrieved the key first before killing his targets. If any of them died first and the key was indeed in the Aries Villa, the others may deem the villa no longer secure and move it to another location. _"The key comes first,"_ Rolo reminded himself and he was about to turn away while an elderly servant hobbled past him urgently. Rolo frowned as the old servant, in his haste, did not even notice Rolo. The young assassin leaned against the doorway casually, attempting to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Lady Fenette!" the servant began breathlessly. "There's a knight who says he has grave news about Master Lelouch! He seeks permission to enter the villa so that he can relay it to you."

"News about Lulu?" Rolo could detect fear in Shirley's voice. "Where is the knight? Show him in, quickly!" The sound of multiple footsteps grew louder and Rolo slinked away to the villa's living room, having discerned that it should be the place where Shirley will meet the knight. His interest was most certainly piqued, and he wondered if something had really happened to Lelouch or was it a mere ploy.

Moments later, the front doors opened, admitting a man dressed in the knights' white and gold uniform. He was lanky and had pale milky hair. There was something about his features that informed anyone looking that he was not of Britannian descent – but honorary Britannian knights, while widely frowned upon, were not unheard of. The knight hastened towards Shirley before saluting her.

"You are Shirley Fenette, are you not?" The knight's voice was slightly accented, but Shirley paid it no mind. She was more concerned about what he had to say. "I have something of extreme import to report."

"Yes, I am," Shirley replied instantly. "What happened?"

"His excellency, Lelouch vi Britannia, and Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald was caught in a traffic accident several minutes ago. His condition is rather serious. He's being sent to the imperial palace's medical room right now," the knight informed her, a hint of urgency in his tone. His dark eyes shone with intensity.

Shirley paled and her knees felt weak as panic gripped heart, threatening to overwhelm her. She could not lose Lelouch now. "Please bring me there at once! Hurry!"

"Time is of the essence indeed," the knight agreed. He clapped his hands in a peculiar fashion, the sound echoing through the hall. "I will drive us there. Let's go." Shirley obeyed, her slender legs instantly moving as she followed the knight through the exit.

* * *

Author's Note: I thought it would be good to touch on one of her flaws: her naivety. She is still human after all. Till next time, people.

For some unknown reason, I felt quite reluctant to post this chapter so soon. However, I've checked it a few times and I can't seem to find anything wrong with it... although I keep thinking there's something missing. Was anything amiss? Let me know what you guys think.


	13. Antics of a Sadist

Author's Note: Frankly I'm surprised that no one seemed worried about Shirley after the events of the last chapter. Oh well. Perhaps, knowing Lelouch, he'd come up with a way to deal with it. *Shrugs*

I fervently hope that the review issue (can't see recent reviews of any story) would be solved soon. It was fixed for a day before it came back... and I'm always dying to read my reviews.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass or any of its characters.

* * *

 **Chapter 13  
Antics of a Sadist**

"Would you care to explain yourself now, Lelouch?" Cornelia inquired. The princess known as the Goddess of Victory fixed her gaze on her younger half-brother intently. They had just managed to convince the Britannian emperor to revoke the order for Cornelia to depart to the European front. She was quite surprised, for their father usually did not change his mind so easily, or at least in public. Lelouch simply mentioned Nunnally, and then it did not take long for Charles to remove Cornelia from her posting. However, the emperor instructed her to appoint someone else in her stead to lead the war against Europia before the day was over. She had no issue with her father's instructions, however, she was baffled when Lelouch brought up his little sister since he told her that he had no idea where she was.

"Yes. I assume this room is safe?" Lelouch asked, looking around the massive chamber they were currently in. With them was three other men, Sir Gilbert G.P. Guilford, a slim dark-haired bespectacled man who was Cornelia's personal knight, General Andreas Darlton, a towering, light brown-haired brutish looking man with a scar across his face, and the ever faithful Jeremiah Gottwald.

"I've used this place dozens of times to discuss military matters of high importance. I'd say this place isn't bugged, since we've always made sure of it before talking about such subjects," Cornelia assured Lelouch. Privately, she was wondering why he was being so paranoid and concluded that whatever Lelouch wanted to talk about was extremely important to him.

"Let's make sure of that," Lelouch insisted. He started searching the room thoroughly and Cornelia joined him, albeit reluctantly. "It is imperative that no one else other than us are able to hear what I have to say."

"If you say so," Cornelia grew more perplexed, but she patiently aided her half-brother in his endeavor to double-check the chamber for any bugs. The other three men assisted them as well, and after nearly twenty minutes, they were finally finished. "It's done."

"Before we start, I need to confess something to you, Cornelia," Lelouch began. Everyone's eyes settled on the eleventh prince, who showed no signs of being uncomfortable under such tight scrutiny. His amethyst eyes flickered among his audience warily, and Cornelia understood.

"Don't worry, Lelouch, all of us here are trustworthy," the purple-haired princess promised her younger half-brother. "Guilford is my personal knight, whom I trust with my life. Darlton is an honest and loyal man, and I have served in the military with him for nearly a decade."

"Very well," Lelouch said in a low voice. He paused momentarily. "Nunnally is still alive and in Area 11. I know where exactly she is."

"You lied to us?" Lelouch could feel a hint of anger and surprise creeping into his half-sister's voice. He supposed he couldn't blame her. He was dishonest to her after all. Lelouch did tell her that he and Nunnally were separated during the war.

"It was necessary, Cornelia," Lelouch muttered, not flinching from her displeased gaze.

"Very well," Cornelia sighed, still disgruntled but not unwilling to listen to Lelouch's reasons. "So why isn't she with you, then?" The vi Britannian siblings were extraordinary close, which reminded Cornelia of her own relationship with Euphemia. She could not imagine Lelouch would be willing to be apart from his dear sister, crippled as she was.

"I made a deal with the Emperor. The details are not important, but I can say it is to ensure that Nunnally would be treated well," Lelouch grimaced. "I planned to retrieve her after I confirmed that the Emperor did not turn back on his word, but now… the Sword of Akasha has returned. Additionally, I'd imagine that since news of my return has gotten out, people may identify her as a princess now."

"Where is she right now?"

"Ashford Academy. In Tokyo, Area 11."

"Why don't you recover Nunnally? So you'll be reunited with her and we can form a bodyguard unit around you two."

"The amount of influence and power the Sword of Akasha wields in Area 11 is relatively minor as compared to here, in the heart of Britannia. While I do not question the competence of you or your soldiers, it is safer for her to remain there… but I cannot be at ease since she will be in a school full of people who should be aware that she's a member of the royalty soon."

"You want us to protect her, then?" Cornelia asked simply. She could see Lelouch's desire for Nunnally to be shielded from harm plainly in his violet orbs.

"Yes," Lelouch affirmed. "There's no one else I can trust to defend Nunnally than you, Cornelia."

"Consider it done."

"Hold on a moment. It may be too much for me to wish for, but could you spare any more forces to help defend Aries Villa?" Lelouch asked hopefully. "Just an added safety measure against the Sword of Akasha."

"If I were to do so, that means I have to segregate my forces into three groups," Cornelia murmured thoughtfully. "The Emperor decreed that I have to appoint someone to go in my stead. The majority of my troops will venture to Europia, leaving my most trusted soldiers behind, which will then be halved. One unit will defend you in Pendragon while the other accompanies me to Area 11."

"Will you able to accommodate my request?"

"Certainly," Cornelia's eyes flickered over to Darlton, who was listening with a patience which belied his brutish frame, and Guilford, who emulated the general. "Guilford, I hereby appoint you as commander of my forces in Europia."

"I hear and obey, Your Highness," Guilford immediately said, leaping to his feet and bowing to Cornelia. The second princess turned towards Lelouch.

"That means that I'll be leaving Miss Fenette's and your safety in the hands of General Darlton," Cornelia paused slightly as Darlton nodded mutely. "Speaking of her, why isn't she with you?"

"I didn't want to expose Shirley to the other nobles anymore, and the imperial palace is crawling with them," Lelouch said dourly. "And she will be fine, as long as she stay in the villa. We have a number of imperial guards there. There isn't many of them, but they're well-trained and on the highest alert level."

"I see," Cornelia shrugged. "A hundred men will accompany me to secure Ashford Academy and Nunnally, then. General Darlton will take another hundred to fortify Aries Villa and the surrounding areas and roads, together with the Glaston Knights. Sir Guilford will take the remainder and head towards Europia."

"One more thing, Cornelia… how would we deal with Clovis?" Lelouch spoke up. He had forgotten that Area 11 was under the rule of the third prince, Clovis la Britannia, and it would seem odd that Cornelia would venture there without a reason.

"You don't intend to tell him the truth?" Cornelia furrowed her eyebrows at Lelouch.

"It's best not to," Lelouch instantly said. He noticed Cornelia's frown deepening. "Please understand Cornelia. I can't afford to trust anyone. Among the royal family, only you and Euphemia are exceptions."

"Right," Cornelia muttered. "I suppose we can use the excuse that Area 11 is crawling with terrorists, which is actually true, and that my forces are to lend him aid in weeding them out. Of course, he'll be suspicious if he noticed that my troops spend their time being stationed at Ashford Academy instead, so we have to send a team or two occasionally in anti-terrorist missions. Don't worry, Nunnally's safety is still our first and foremost priority," the princess added after Lelouch's face soured a little at the thought of the guards being reduced in strength.

"I hope you'll bear that in mind, Cornelia," Lelouch said. "Thank you for this." His features softened as he regarded his half-sister. _"Nunnally's safety is now assured."_ Even if some of the guards have to embark on anti-terrorist missions, the number of men was higher than he expected, and that was an added bonus for him. The more the merrier, after all.

"Don't mention it," Cornelia replied quickly. "You have my promise that we will not fail this time." Steel resolve was burned in her blue orbs. The princess felt guilty about the death of Marianne, for she was in charge of her royal guard. Although Marianne did order her to withdraw the guard, much to her protests, she was reproachful of herself after witnessing Marianne's bullet-riddled body the next morning. Thus, she was more than willing to protect Lelouch and Nunnally as a form of repentance.

"I must leave now," Lelouch's face darkened for a moment. "I do not wish to leave Shirley alone any longer than necessary." Without another word, the prince turned on his heel and left the palace, Jeremiah closely following him.

* * *

Shirley peered out of the car's windows anxiously as it sped through the highways of Pendragon. Her heart was thumping wildly in her chest as she tried not to imagine the condition Lelouch was in. She could only pray that it was not too serious, for she could not imagine her life without him. Fate would be playing a cruel trick on her if he passed away not long after she got together with him. Shaking such morbid thoughts out of her mind, she leaned forward in the passenger's seat while the white-haired knight silently drove the automobile, which had a blaring siren attached to the roof. Shirley was thankful for it since it made many slower vehicles in front of them swerve out of her way. She wanted nothing more but to see Lelouch safe and sound, as soon as possible. Her mind tried to conjure images of him being severely injured or even dead, causing her to shiver violently as she tried to shut them out.

Shirley was about to open her mouth to ask the knight how much longer do they need to reach the hospital when she realized that she did not even know his name. Now that she thought of it, she was beginning to have misgivings about entering the car without even knowing the driver at all. Perhaps she should have brought someone with her as well, such as Rolo or one of the imperial guards. Her green eyes flickered around the interior of the car cautiously, keeping an eye out for any sign that the knight was a potential trickster or foe, and she found nothing suspicious. Nonetheless, she was growing apprehensive of her situation, and she moved slowly to the edge of her leather seat.

Mao noticed his target's nervous fidgeting and wondered whether she was starting to have qualms about recklessly following him. He fought the urge to smirk maliciously. It was already too late for her. "Don't worry, Miss Fenette, we'll be reaching soon," Mao called over his shoulder.

"That's great," Shirley replied uneasily, looking at the scenery again. They were still on an expressway, and she reasoned that if this was a trap, they wouldn't be on such a busy road. Mao nodded wordlessly and kept his eyes on the road.

Just when Shirley wondered whether she was overthinking, there was a loud hissing sound behind her. She spun around as much as her seatbelt allowed her to do so in alarm as a colorless gas starting seeping from the back of the car. Immediately, her eyes began to sting painfully when it came into contact with the unpleasant-smelling gas. Unbeknownst to her, the car was veering off the highway to a side road and the driver watching her reaction to the gas expectantly.

Shirley tried her best to remain conscious and her hands scrambled to open the car door in an attempt to exit. While bolting out of a vehicle traveling at a high speed was usually a bad idea, she much preferred it to being knocked out and at the mercy of a potentially malicious individual. However, the car doors were firmly locked, much to her dismay. The dark-eyed 'knight' turned around in his seat, grinning at her malevolently as he strapped on a pair of goggles and a gas mask to protect himself from the rising levels of the sleeping gas in the car's interior. He watched with glee and anticipation at Shirley's fading struggles to stay awake. As her head swam into unconsciousness, her last thought was directed towards Lelouch. _"Forgive me, Lulu… I should have known…"_ Then everything went black for her.

* * *

Rolo frowned to himself as he stalked through the corridors of the Aries Villa. He was searching for any trace of the Key, which his master required so badly for his plans. The young man, dressed in the servant's garb, used his position as a servant to enter as many rooms as possible to look for the object while pretending to clean the room. He was careful not to appear too suspicious, although he used his status as a newcomer as an excuse to appear curious and somewhat air-headed.

Another pressing issue on Rolo's mind was the fact that Shirley had left the villa with an unknown knight. The combination of the man's excuse to enter the villa, his non-Britannian features and his odd action of clapping before they left led Rolo to be exceedingly dubious of the so-called 'knight'. He wondered whether the white-haired individual was an actual assassin, and he grimaced. Infinity warned him that if Lelouch or Shirley were killed, it may cause the Emperor or another figure to deem the villa to be unsafe and hence move the location of the key from the Aries Villa to a different, unknown place, one that he may have lower chances of infiltrating. While it was not confirmed that it was in the villa, he should search for it thoroughly first before reporting it to his master.

Rolo entered what seemed to be an abandoned music room, which appeared to be seldom cleaned. A thin layer of dust covered the grand piano, the drum set and the cases of violins and trumpets. He wrinkled his nose and resisted the urge to sneeze before proceeding to work, grabbing a feather duster, which was placed on the wall and started dusting the aged instruments. He dismissed the thoughts of the knight and Shirley out of his mind. There was an off-chance that the knight was speaking the truth and Lelouch was injured.

The sound of the front door creaking slightly reached Rolo's ears, announcing Lelouch's likely return. He could hear Lelouch's muffled voice calling out as he ascended the stairs, "Shirley? Where are you?" That statement alone destroyed any possibilities of the 'knight' being truthful. Rolo straightened his back and made a face at himself. It seemed that Shirley was tricked after all. While he wasn't particularly concerned about her, this may jeopardize Infinity's plan, and he would be most displeased. With that thought in mind, he tossed the feather duster aside and raced out of the room. " _Furthermore, it would be a good opportunity to gain the trust of the eleventh prince as well,"_ he thought as he sprinted away.

Rolo nearly ran into Lelouch and his bodyguard, Jeremiah, as the former turned around the corner. The younger male managed to stop himself just in time before he collided with the prince, who had an expression of startlement on his face. Jeremiah nearly unsheathed his wrist blades until the Margrave saw that it was only Rolo. "Sorry, Your Highness!" Rolo gasped.

"Ah, Mister Haliburton. Did you happen to see Shir-?" Lelouch asked politely, having gotten over his scare of almost crashing into Rolo.

"Your Highness, I have grave news to share!" Rolo stepped forward; disregarding Jeremiah's affronted look. The spy's pinkish eyes gleamed with urgency. "Miss Fenette has been taken away!" Lelouch's eyes widened in shock.

"Taken away…? What do you mean?!" Lelouch demanded, a sense of trepidation growing within him. He could feel his panic-stricken heart plummeting. "Explain!"

"A knight came in earlier and-" Rolo started, but the sound of Lelouch's cell phone ringing cut him off. Both teenagers relapsed into silence as Lelouch dug the electronic device out of his pocket. "Caller ID: Shirley" flashed insistently on the screen. Lelouch stared at it in consternation for a couple of seconds, and he shot Rolo a look of distrust before accepting the phone call.

"It's me. Where are you right now?" Lelouch asked, strained with worry. The reply to his words only made it worse.

"Hellooo, Lulu," an unfamiliar voice answered scornfully. The speaker was definitely not Shirley – it sounded like a young male with a slight accent.

"Who are you?" Lelouch questioned. He had a sinking feeling in his chest that the answer would not be to his liking at all.

"Someone who would like to play a little game with you," the man giggled fiendishly. "I have the ever-so-delicate Miss Fenette here with me. So I suggest you take up my invitation if you'd like to see her again."

"What do you mean? What exactly do you want?!" Lelouch could feel his anger and fear rising sharply. He clutched his phone so tight that he thought it would crack under the immense pressure. "What have you done to Shirley?!"

"So many questions, Lulu," the unknown man mocked. "Meet me at the old Clifford Harbor, warehouse number three. Oh, and come alone. Or else I'll be sending you her head. Ciao," the speaker cackled diabolically before ending the call. Lelouch swallowed heavily as he lowered the phone from his ear, the device nearly dropping from his nerveless fingers.

"Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked uncertainly. "What happened?"

Lelouch snapped out of his daze. "Follow me, Margrave Gottwald," Lelouch replied curtly, turning around and marching towards the front door of the villa. Jeremiah unquestioningly obeyed despite his obvious confusion. "Drive to a kilometer and a half away from the abandoned Clifford Harbor. I'll fill you in from there. We need to devise a plan as quickly as possible."

Rolo watched the pair leave and he breathed a sigh of relief. Although his affiliation was not with Lelouch, he hoped that the prince would be able to recover Shirley safe and sound, for Infinity requires the pair to be alive before the Key was found.

* * *

Lelouch slid the dilapidated wooden door of the warehouse aside warily, his back pressed firmly against the wall as he attempted to peek into the building over his shoulder. His right hand clutched a pistol, his finger resting on its trigger. He spotted a lanky male, his complexion almost unnaturally pale and with a mop of messy white hair, standing on a flight of metal stairs with rusty banisters. He had a shotgun slung over the shoulders and started clapping lazily the moment the door opened.

"Come on in, Lulu, don't be shy," the man jeered, as he continued applauding. Lelouch saw no more reason to hide and he spun around, his arm jerking upwards as he pointed the barrel of his weapon right at the man. "Nuh-uh!" the subject of his ire called out. "If you shoot me right now, she dies. Horribly." He gave Lelouch a lopsided, twisted grin full of malice.

Lelouch's finger trembled as it tightened around the trigger, then he reluctantly lowered his gun, despite how much he desired to fire it. "Who are you? Where is she?" Lelouch demanded, his face contorting into a look of fury.

"Oh, forgive my manners! You may call me Mao," the lean individual gave a mocking bow. "Not to worry, Lulu, you shall soon find out. Drop your weapon and get in front of me. I don't trust you to not pull any stunts." Mao unslung a double-barreled shotgun and trained it squarely on the prince's face. Lelouch grimaced. He did not like the idea of being herded around by Mao, but he had little choice. He threw his pistol aside, which looked ridiculously puny compared to the shotgun, and ascended the stairs towards Mao.

"Very good, Lulu," Mao laughed. Lelouch resisted the urge to punch him in the face – the man's usage of Shirley's nickname for the prince was grating on his nerves. Mao pressed the shotgun to his back. "Start walking," Mao commanded and Lelouch was forced to obey.

Mao guided him through a series of staircases as they ventured deeper into the warehouse. Lelouch trudged along without a protest, the metal barrels of the shotgun uncomfortably cold against his back. He kept an eye out for Shirley and any other accomplices, but he could not spot either. Perhaps Mao was truly working alone. He briefly wondered if this was actually a trap and Shirley was somewhere else. However, the surveillance camera footage in the villa was undeniable – Shirley left with Mao and the fact that her cell phone was being used ruled out that possibility.

Eventually, Lelouch found himself facing another wooden sliding door, which he assumed was blocking Mao's intended path. "Open it," Mao ordered. Lelouch wordlessly tugged open the door, revealing a wide, spacious chamber. An elevated table was placed squarely in the room, with a white cloth obscuring an unknown object which rested on the table's surface. To the right was a series of televisions, their screens displaying real-time footage of the surrounding area around the warehouse. However, Lelouch disregarded all of that when he looked to the left and froze. An instantly recognizable orange-haired female, bound and gagged, was suspended by a rope tied around her feet. The rope was connected to a pulley, which was attached to the ceiling, and she dangled precariously over a pool of greenish liquid. She was conscious, and her eyes widened the moment she spotted Lelouch.

"Shirley!" Lelouch cried out, momentarily forgetting about Mao as he sprinted towards her. Mao lazily pointed his weapon along Lelouch's path and fired, the shell striking a few inches away from the prince's foot. Lelouch stopped cold as the sound of the shotgun being pumped filled the air, and Mao trained it on Shirley, the unsaid threat quite clear.

"What do you want?" Lelouch spun around. He glared at Mao furiously, his amethyst eyes burning with intense loathing.

"Oh yes, I love that look. The look of someone's woman being taken away from him," Mao commented, clapping again, obviously enjoying every moment.

"Quit beating around the bush! What do you want from us?!" Lelouch snarled ferociously, his knuckles white as his hands curled into fists.

"Weren't you paying attention to the call earlier?" Mao replied, a smug smile widening on his face. "I want to play a game with you."

"A game?" A hint of suspicion and surprise crossed the prince's features. "What do you mean?"

Mao cackled and he strode to the table, tugging the cloth off with a grand flourish. Lelouch's eyes narrowed as it unveiled a set of items he was more than familiar with. A chess set, to be exact. "We're going to play a game of chess," Mao declared. The pale-skinned male dug into his pockets, producing a medium-sized device. It was rather plain – it did not have a screen and the only thing it had was a knob. "With some extra rules, of course. I assume you're familiar with the game?"

"Familiar enough," Lelouch muttered. Better for Mao not to know that the prince was a highly accomplished player. "So what are your rules? I'm listening."

"First, you have to understand that setup," Mao gave Lelouch a wicked grin, jerking his thumb to his left at Shirley. "What your little dove is dangling over is a pool of concentrated super acid. Fluoroantimonic acid, if I have to be precise. It's perhaps the strongest acid known to mankind." Mao retrieved a metal spoon from his pocket and he tossed it nonchalantly into the substance. The acid around the spoon bubbled furiously, and within seconds, it was dissolved. "It's contained by a later polytetrafluoroethylene, which is the only compound that could hold the acid without corroding." Mao stopped for a moment before continuing.

"Anyway, as I was saying, the rules are simple. Whenever you lose a piece, she goes down towards the acid a little," Mao flicked the knob downwards once, and the pulley turned slightly, making Shirley descend with a muffled scream. "And if I lose a piece, she goes up again," Mao casually played with the controller again, and to his words, she rose a little. "Of course, if all of it doesn't matter if one of us wins. If I'm victorious, she goes all the way down. If I'm the loser, then you get to walk away with her. What do you think, Lulu?"

"Your taste is repugnant, you bastar-"

"Please. I've been called so many names over the past, I've heard them all," Mao laughed. "So, shall we begin? You'll be taking the black pieces, I assume."

" _This is just like gambling, but instead of money, Shirley's life is at stake instead,"_ Lelouch thought grimly to himself. _"If he's challenging me to a game of chess, he must be somewhat skilled at the game. It's unthinkable that he would want to lose on purpose. While I doubt he will actually keep his word, I have no choice but to go along with it as of now_." Lelouch turned to look at Shirley. He could see the realization in her eyes that both of them knew that there was no way Mao would let them go even if they won. However, Shirley made an effort to give him a confident nod, expressing her trust in him. Lelouch cleared his throat and straightened his back, his eyes shining with determination. "I accept your rules. I'm taking the black pieces. Let's begin."

"Well done, Lulu," Mao sneered as the two of them walked to their respective spots. He slung his shotgun over his shoulders again. "White makes the first move," Mao moved his knight across the board. Lelouch wordlessly answered by moving one of his central pawns forward.

The game quickly progressed from there, despite the fact that there was no time limit for each turn; it was a rapid exchange between the two players. "Tut tut, you're really not good at this game, aren't you, Lulu?" Mao taunted as he used one of his bishops to capture another black pawn. Lelouch gritted his teeth and glanced at the pile of captured pieces. Mao nearly had captured twice as many pieces as he, and now Shirley was dangling closer to the pool, her flowing orange hair mere inches away from the surface, which bubbled in a sinister fashion. The prince looked over at her again, and in spite of the fact that Lelouch was losing, the conviction emanating from her peridot green eyes never faded. Lelouch could not help but feel moved by her unshakable faith in him, and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Oy, pay more attention to the game than your girlfriend, you twerp," Mao spoke up, annoyed with the couple's mawkish behavior. The television screens besides Mao flickered for a moment and if he gave them a closer look, he would have noticed that the timers on them were going haywire. However, Mao did not, for he was busy tapping his feet impatiently against the floor as he waited for Lelouch to make his move. _"This setup should be cruel enough for my client. Forcing him to take part in her death! So close to victory now... soon I'll kill them both and claim my reward!"_

* * *

 **A couple of minutes ago…**

Jeremiah chortled to himself as his fingers flew across the laptop's keyboard, hacking the surveillance cameras surrounding the warehouse. He wasn't the most competent of hackers, but he was moderately schooled in such an activity and with the assistance of top-tier computing hardware and software, gaining access to the system was mere child's play. Now all of the devices were simply playing footage of the last ten seconds in an unending loop, giving the impression that there was no one in the vicinity. The Margrave could call in multiple SWAT teams if he wanted to, and his unknown opponent wouldn't be aware of it. There was only one gaping flaw in the plan Lelouch had concocted, and it was that the enemy might notice the erratic timing of the cameras. However, he was counting on his liege to distract their adversary while Jeremiah would sneak into the warehouse.

Unfortunately for Jeremiah, he could not enter the building through its front entrance, for there was the chance of their foe placing tripwires or other devices. Perhaps he was being exceedingly careful, but with Shirley's life at stake, it was not a risk he was willing to take. He had failed Empress Marianne nine years ago, and he would not let her son down. Thus, the Margrave had to find another way to infiltrate the warehouse. Thankfully, unbeknownst to Mao, Lelouch had a tiny camera attached to the front of his jacket, which allowed Jeremiah to examine the interior of the chamber. He particularly paid the air ventilation much interest, for it seemed to lead to one of the metal walkways surrounding the walls. _"Sneaking in through the air vent. How typical,"_ Jeremiah mused as he retrieved his grappling hook from the car's boot and stealthily made his way towards the warehouse.

The Margrave threw the hook on the roof of the warehouse, careful to avoid any of the windows. He was silently grateful for the fact that it made solid purchase on the roof's surface despite the run-down condition of the building. Without further ado, Jeremiah pulled himself swiftly to the top of the warehouse, his cybernetic-enhanced strength and dexterity easily allowing him to accomplish it in less than three seconds. It did not take the nobleman long to locate the entrance of the air ventilation, and with a slight grunt, he tugged open the grid cautiously. He studied the vent and made a face to himself, for it would be quite a tight fit for a man of his size. _"Whatever my prince requires,"_ he reminded himself as he lowered himself, his booted feet barely making a noise as they made contact with the air vent. Jeremiah got down on all fours and started to crawl onwards; ignoring the discomfort of the restricted space gave him. Lelouch and Shirley weren't all too far away…

* * *

Shirley watched the chess match gradually unfold before her. While she has close to zero knowledge of the board game, she was able to guess who was winning. Much to her relief, Lelouch apparently turned the tables on Mao, the latter being on the losing side now. The mercenary's cocky attitude vanished a few minutes ago, and sweat started forming on his forehead. Shirley reminded herself that even if Lelouch won, it is awfully unlikely that Mao would actually let them go if the prince won. She was positive that her boyfriend knew about it as well, and could only trust that he has a plan up his sleeve.

"Another one," Lelouch said in a bored tone, moving one of the black rooks to capture another white bishop, tossing the ivory piece nonchalantly aside. "Let her rise up a little, would you?" Mao's facial muscles twitched and with great unwillingness, he pushed the knob upwards. Shirley heard the pulley creak a little as she ascended slightly. Despite the fact that Lelouch was winning, her sense of foreboding only grew. Mao only had two pieces left – a king and a rook, and whatever Lelouch was concocting, it needed to happen when he won. So far she has yet to sense any indication that he was ready when victory happened. Perhaps it was the blood rushing to her head from her upside-down suspension that made it hard for her to do so. All of a sudden, she became aware of a faint grating noise from her left. The svelte girl tried her best to look to the left from the corner of her eyes, and only spotted an air vent. Whether there was someone inside or not, she could not tell, and the entrance of the vent was not at her eye level. Could it be Jeremiah? Nonetheless, her hopes rose greatly at the thought of the loyal cyborg coming to the scene.

"Checkmate," Lelouch could not resist the urge to smirk widely at Mao. His opponent's dark eyes were enlarged to the size of saucers and they bulged madly in disbelief. Mao alternated his stares between the chessboard and Lelouch, and the prince gave his adversary half a minute to fully comprehend the fact that he had lost, despite a good start.

"I-Impossible," Mao spluttered, taking a step back. He glanced at Shirley, who was now far from the surface of the acidic liquid. He was never beaten at chess before until he met Lelouch. Mao took another step back, his face morphing into an expression of fury and humiliation. "It doesn't matter! They told me I'll get the reward as long as I kill both of you. I just won't get the bonus recompense for breaking you beforehand!" Mao screamed, all hint of sanity lost as he instantly whipped out the pulley's controller and pressed the knob downwards. He was bewildered when Lelouch merely stared at him calmly, still with that condescending smile on his face as he made no move to stop Mao from sending Shirley to a grisly death. She shut her eyes, praying that whatever Lelouch was counting on would be able to save her.

That was when Jeremiah chose to act, bursting out from the air vent and leaping towards the rapidly descending form of Shirley. He smoothly unsheathed his wrist blade on his right arm, severed the rope in one neat motion, and caught Shirley on his left. The Margrave landed ungainly on the edge of the acid, causing a fair portion of Shirley's hair to dip momentarily in the liquid. For a brief moment, Lelouch's heart nearly leapt out of his mouth as Jeremiah wobbled dangerously, almost teetering backwards to the pool, but the bodyguard managed to balance at the last moment, and sliced off the strands of hair which were affected by the corrosive substance, which fell into the depths of the pool. The prince heaved a sigh of relief.

"Wha-?!" Mao choked visibly on his growing rage. Not only he made a fool out of himself in front of Lelouch, but he couldn't even finish off one of his targets. Additionally, he had no idea where Jeremiah came from, and he realized that he, the trickster, has been tricked by the prince. "Damn you to hell!" Mao howled, unslinging the shotgun and aimed it at the noble and Shirley.

Before Mao could pull the trigger, the booming sound of gunshots echoed around the room and the shotgun tumbled from Mao's suddenly nerveless fingers. Both Lelouch and Jeremiah leveled their handguns at Mao, the former having brought a second gun to trick Mao that he would be weapon-less once he was forced to discard the first one. Jeremiah was quick on the draw, pulling out his pistol the moment he noticed Mao targeting him. Both the prince and his bodyguard had the same line of thought – shoot Mao's hands to disable any attempt by him to retaliate. They did not shoot to kill as the pair wanted him for questioning. Mao shrieked in anguish and while Shirley flinched from the sound – she could not find it in herself to feel pity for him.

"You lose, Mao," Lelouch declared triumphantly. Mao made to rise to his feet, blood trickling in rivers from his hands. "Stay down." Mao ignored him, frantically jumping on his feet as he scrambled for the exit. He did not make it far, for Jeremiah fired a precise, single bullet at Mao's right thigh, ripping through the latter's hamstring tendons as though they were cotton, sending him sprawling to the floor with a scream of agony in an undignified manner. "Secure him, Margrave Gottwald," Lelouch instructed. "And put Shirley down, would you?" he added. Jeremiah obeyed, gently placing her on the ground while he crossed the chamber, producing a pair of handcuffs from his coat's pockets as he apprehended Mao. While the noble was doubtful that the cuffs were necessary, given the fact that Mao's hands were shot and bleeding profusely, it was better to be safe than sorry.

"You," Mao gurgled incoherently, glaring at Jeremiah. "How did you get in here? I had cameras all over the area."

"Easily hacked and modified with the aid of the best programs and devices Britannia can offer," Jeremiah snorted dismissively, pinning the slight man against the floor with his foot. He bent forward to fasten Mao's bloodied hands together with the handcuffs. "I managed to view the warehouse's interior, through a minuscule camera on his Highness."

"You mean all this was planned all along?" Mao questioned angrily, spittle flying from his mouth as he stared at Lelouch in a mixture of outrage and incredulity.

"Yes," Lelouch replied, not deigning to even look at Mao. "Judging from the fact that you used a game of chess to challenge me without knowing my capabilities, I guessed that you would quickly get overconfident if I gave you a good start. Besides, you were operating alone against such a high-value target like myself, and that already tells me that there's a high chance that you would be quite arrogant. Thus, I decided to lull you into a false sense of security by throwing the game in the early stages, so that you would not notice the security cameras being hacked. All I needed to do after that is to ensure that you do not win the chess game." Lelouch knelt down in front of Shirley, untying the ropes binding her legs and arms before gently tugging the roll of cloth out of her mouth. The moment she was ungagged, she gasped loudly, taking in deep gulps of air. The prince held her steadily by her shoulders as she coughed and regained the feeling of her limbs. "You're safe now," Lelouch promised tenderly, his voice cracking on his last word, for self-approach welled up within, overwhelming him in an instant. "I'm sorry, Shirley."

"Lulu…" Shirley felt a surge of emotion as the tremendously stressful ordeal was over. Her eyes were brimming with tears. She leaned into his chest and the prince embraced her tightly. He could feel her grip tightening on his jacket as her body shook uncontrollably with sobs. "I was so terrified! I s-should have listened to you. You told me to stay inside. I'm sorry!"

"It's alright. It's all over now," Lelouch whispered reassuringly, caressing her hair. "I'll keep you safe from now on." With that, Lelouch and Shirley rose to their feet, the former placing the latter's arm around his shoulders to provide support. Jeremiah glared at the captive Mao and dragged him unceremoniously behind them as the trio left the long-abandoned warehouse.

* * *

The sound of the double metal doors being slammed open startled the group of people seated around an oval table in the darkened conference room. They were all members of the Sword of Akasha, some were leaders appointed by Infinity while others simply held key positions in the organization. They traded uneasy looks as Infinity strode into the room. Gone was his usual aura of suaveness and authority. Now he radiated pure displeasure.

"Someone abducted Shirley Fenette and attempted to assassinate Lelouch vi Britannia," Infinity declared. "And this goes against the plan of having agent Haliburton to retrieve the Key before killing them both. Fortunately for us, the plan failed miserably and both of them are now safe and sound. The assailant has been captured." He paused for a moment, before sardonically asking. "We all know that we're the only large and active organization that has a grudge against the two. So which brilliant mind is behind this horrendous fiasco?"

Apprehensive silence filled the air. None of his audience dared to speak a word. That is, until a tall, pale brown-haired woman rose gracefully to her feet, and glared daggers at the masked man.

"Guinevere," Infinity acknowledged. He was not surprised that the first princess of Britannia, who was part of the Sword of Akasha, was the one who stood up. She was known for her pride and prejudice against the lesser folks.

"First Princess Guinevere de Britannia," Guinevere retorted haughtily. "I was the one who made such arrangements."

"I'll not bother to ask why you did that, for it is obvious," Infinity snarled. "Perhaps you could elaborate on the assassin instead?"

"His name is Mao. He is a well-known mercenary, hailing from the Chinese Federation," Guinevere replied, not backing down. "I instructed him to use whatever tools and resources he had at his disposal to slay Shirley Fenette, while emotionally tormenting Lelouch vi Britannia before killing him as well."

"How nefarious. I assume that you are smart enough not to show your face or reveal your identity when you hired him? It'd be quite sad if you did since he's now captured by his own targets."

"I'm not an idiot, Infinity. I take safeguards too. And the plan would have succeeded if that Margrave did not meddle with it!"

"Regardless, it's too bad, or should I say thankfully, that your little plan fell on its face?" Infinity fought to keep his temper from rising. It was quite uncharacteristic of him, but he was planning this for years, which nearly toppled due to a hasty subordinate. "Have I not made it abundantly clear that we would be counting on agent Haliburton to recover the Key before making a move on those two?"

"Honestly, Infinity, do you think that that object is more important than killing those two?" Guinevere snapped. "Their relationship defies everything that we, the Sword of Akasha, stand for! And you're throwing it all aside for your key to the Damo-"

"Don't be a fool, Guinevere!" Infinity snapped, cutting the princess in mid-sentence. Most of the other members started. Infinity seldom displayed any emotion, let alone anger. He was usually inexpressive. "It doesn't matter if we kill millions of commoners associated with the nobility and royalty if another would take its place." Guinevere quietened down as Infinity took a deep breath, returning to his dispassionate tone. "With access to my superweapon, we can dominate the world and actually enforce our ideals instead having to resort to such shady activities. Just think about it. We would be the future of the entire world."

Guinevere opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. "I suppose it makes some sense," she muttered to herself.

"Do not fail me again, First princess Guinevere," Infinity narrowed his eyes at her, although she could not see it. "I will not tolerate any more mistakes from anyone else in this room. Is that clear?" Murmuring broke out among the table, all of them expressing assent. Infinity nodded his head in satisfaction. _"Regardless of the fact that my imprudent subordinates have been tamed, I need to speed up my plans. Although I have the leadership of the Sword of Akasha, inevitably they would overthrow me if I appear to be passive for too long. Rolo has to hurry up; otherwise, I might be forced to do something drastic…"_

* * *

Author's Note: I pretty much dropped a giant hint on Infinity's true identity. For the next chapter, I'm going to set off the chain of events for Rolo.

If anyone expected a more straightforward battle between the SoA and Lelouch in this fic... well, I have to say I did consider such a thing, but I decided to go with this instead for the sake of a character. Not saying that the SoA will spend their time twiddling their thumbs of course. Eventually, they will have to act.


	14. A Convenient Mishap

Author's Note: Hello readers. Just a word of warning, this chapter is lengthy and there's going to be a lot of talking. Like tons of talking. The aftermath of Mao's incident and the spark of the chain of events for Rolo will be covered here, plus, we finally get an introduction to Infinity's background here (about time, I think it's better to do it sooner than later since people might get confused with his motivations).

Maybe it's just my nerves, but just like the twelfth chapter, I'm a little unsure about posting this although I can't find any more flaws... *Shrugs*

P.S. Pardon the horrible chapter name :( I have no idea what to name this one.

* * *

 **Chapter 14  
A Convenient Mishap**

Shirley draped an arm over Lelouch's shoulders and leaned against his frame as they hobbled over to the bedroom. She initially wanted to walk on her own, but her unsteady feet and light-headedness, combined with Lelouch's insistence, convinced her not to. The prince pushed the twin wooden doors to their bedroom wide open as he half-hobbled over to the bed. "Easy, Shirley," he murmured, lowering her cautiously on the mattress.

The raven-haired male, after making sure that Shirley was in a comfortable sitting position, fetched a glass of water from the bedside table and passed it to her. "Thanks, Lulu," she whispered, raising the cup with her trembling fingers and took a sip. Lelouch let out a lengthy exhale, pulled a swivel chair from the desk to the side of the bed and flopped heavily on his seat.

"Shirley," Lelouch began, breaking the silence. His haunted eyes examined the lithe girl before him. "I need you to tell me what happened earlier."

"Lulu..." Shirley's voice trembled a little. She couldn't believe how easily she was deceived. "H-he told me that you were injured in a traffic accident. I was so worried… I didn't think properly! I-I got into his car and he knocked me out with some sort of gas. I'm sorry…"

Lelouch tried not to grimace. Trust the mercenary to play on Shirley's concerns for him."Did he do anything to you?" he asked worriedly, studying Shirley from head to toe.

"I wasn't sure," Shirley admitted, shaking her head, her shortened orange hair swaying back and forth. "When I came to, I was already bound and suspended upside down." Shirley noticed Lelouch's gaze and was aware that she looked pale and haggard after the ordeal. She hoped that Lelouch did not blame himself – after all, it was partly her fault for falling for what seemed like an obvious lie now. Judging from the anguish she could see in his eyes, her hopes were for naught. Suddenly, an intense emotion rose up within her. "It's not your fault," Shirley spoke up, startling Lelouch, who was brooding in deep thought.

Lelouch made a twisted expression at her. "You didn't deserve it. You were targeted just because you're with me," Lelouch muttered, his voice barely audible. He did not meet Shirley's eyes. "This should not have happened."

"Lulu… we're not going to change the fact that we're together, are we now?" Shirley questioned, her heart sinking a little at the direction this conversation was going. She could imagine what thoughts were running rampant in his mind. If he didn't accept her feelings during the spring dance months ago, none of this would have happened to her.

" _Maybe,"_ Lelouch thought but did not say. He shook his head, banishing the thought. "No, we're not. I just… I should've been there."

"I didn't listen to you. I… it was stupid of me, really. Please don't blame yourself," Shirley pleaded.

Lelouch knew what Shirley was talking about, for Rolo filled him in on the conversation between Mao and her prior to their departure from the Villa. It was confirmed by the other servants who witnessed it as well. "I'll protect you next time, Shirley. I promise you'll be safe."

"Lulu…" Shirley's voice trailed away. Now it was her turn to be brooding over the situation, and the strained silence stretched on. "You can't shield me forever."

"What are you implying?"

"I… I'm saying that I want to help. There might be another time where they would try something again, right?" Shirley swallowed heavily. "If that's so… I want to learn how to defend myself."

"Self-defense?" Lelouch leaned backwards in his chair, his brows shooting up in surprise. "Why? You don't have to, Shirley. There was nothing you could have done back then, even if you knew how to defend yourself."

"But I _want_ to. You can't be the only one fighting against the Sword of Akasha. They're not going to stop coming after us, won't they? I have to do something as well. I don't want to be a burden on you, Lulu." Shirley's eyes shone with determination and fervor.

Lelouch hesitated for a moment, but he saw no reason to dissuade her. After all, there was no harm letting her learn how to defend herself, and it would make her feel at ease. He concluded that she may be restless and even think that she was a load on his shoulders if things continued this way. "Alright, I'll see if General Darlton has anything to offer."

"Oh. Who's that?"

"He's our new head of security, General Andreas Darlton. He is a trusted confidant of second Princess Cornelia."

"That's great. Umm… how is he like?"

"I've yet to have a conversation with him for a proper impression to form. I must warn you, though, he looks quite… imposing."

* * *

"Glad you could make it, general," Lelouch said politely. Darlton gave the prince a courteous smile, which looked out of place on his heavily scarred face.

"Don't mention it. Now, we're here to discuss security matters, are we?" the colossal man inquired. His bluish eyes briefly flickered over to the orange-haired girl beside the prince and Jeremiah. The three of them were seated on the various couches in the parlor, while the Margrave stood in the corner. The military officer noticed that there were several small stains of what looked like blood on Jeremiah's sleeve, but chose not to say anything about it.

"Um, we were never properly introduced…" Shirley hesitantly said, holding out a hand.

"General Andreas Darlton," Darlton supplied brusquely, reaching forward, enveloping Shirley's slim hand with his own burly one. He took care to shake hers gently before releasing it. "I suppose you're Miss Shirley Fenette, am I right?"

"Oh. Yes, I am," Shirley tilted her head.

"Moving on to security..." Lelouch coughed, bringing the conversation back on track. "I hear that you have brought a hundred men, excluding the Glaston Knights, several Knightmares and artillery units."

"That is true," Darlton inclined his head. "We're all awaiting your orders. However, before you assign us our posts, do you mind sharing what defenses do you possess currently?"

Lelouch narrowed his eyes. He contemplated not telling Darlton since he barely knew him, but he pushed that thought aside. The general was to be the new head of his security forces, Cornelia trusted him implicitly and he was the one who wanted more guards to begin with. "We only have twenty imperial guards so far. Most of them are stationed in the villa, and a few of them are at the main gates. However, we have numerous hidden machine turrets surrounding the place. All of them are remotely controlled."

"I see…" Darlton stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Where would you have us positioned then?"

"I require your men to be split into multiple groups," Lelouch began reciting immediately. He had already formulated a plan for how his troops would be situated. "A group of thirty men, which will be in six teams of four and six in reserve will be scattered around the roads surrounding the house. They are to check if there are any suspicious individuals are around the area. I trust you to schedule their shifts accordingly so that they have enough rest. I can't have my guards falling asleep due to the lack of it."

"Of course. Please go on."

"Another group of thirty men will be positioned in the surrounding forest and the main gate. Once again, check for any dubious activity and thoroughly search anyone who enters. I don't care if it's a prince, princess or even the Emperor himself," Lelouch abruptly said. "If any of them gives your men trouble, please get them to leave, by force or by words."

"That's a bit much," Darlton frowned. "But I understand that it's necessary. We'll do as you wish."

"No soldiers or servants are allowed to depart from the house as well, as they would have knowledge of our defenses. Assign another twenty men to the artillery. And as for the remaining twenty men…" Lelouch mused. "They are to be stationed in the house itself, with the Glaston Knights. You're to accompany them as well."

"As a reinforcement of the villa's forces?" Darlton asked. "Since there are already some imperial guards around."

"Correct," Lelouch confirmed. "Jeremiah will assist you and your forces to settle down in the villa," he added, glancing at the noble standing in the corner of the room.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah saluted sharply.

"How about my Knightmares, Your Highness?" Darlton raised a hand. "We have twenty-six seventh generation frames with us. All of them are Gareths. And the artillery?"

"They are to be moved to the garage. The twenty men, including you and the Glaston Knights, make the number of pilots twenty-six. So please ensure that the men you're going to assign as the villa's guards are the most competent pilots among your troops."

"Noted," Darlton rose to his feet, shifting his feet to turn towards the door. "I shall go inform my troops and arrange them accordingly. Now, is there anything else you wish to talk about before I do so?"

Shirley nudged Lelouch's knee with her own, causing him to give her a befuddled look before he recalled her words yesterday. "Oh, right…" Lelouch muttered, shifting his gaze back to the waiting general. "Darlton, do you or any of the Glaston Knights happen to be able to train people in self-defense?"

"Well none of us are certified trainers since we're professional soldiers, not instructors," Darlton snorted. "But I guess we can teach a thing or two about it, enough to be adequate for beginners." He eyed Lelouch's thin physique. "If you're interested in it, I would suggest that you take physical training as well, Your Highness."

"It's not meant for me," Lelouch held up his hands. He almost looked ill at the thought of exercising.

"Then for whom is it meant for?"

"Me," Shirley piped up suddenly. Darlton cocked his head to the side curiously at her. "I want to learn how to defend myself."

"In case they strike again?" Darlton asked softly, his dark eyes searching Shirley's green ones. "So you would be able to do something about it?"

Shirley nodded vigorously. "I'm glad you know how I feel."

"It always starts like that," Darlton ran a hand through his cropped brown hair. "Alright. I'll personally teach you how to protect yourself. Be warned, though, it's going to be rigorous, and I do not tolerate any whining about it." He gave Shirley a hard stare. "Is that clear?"

"Umm…" Shirley exchanged a glance with Lelouch, who merely looked blankly at her. _"I'm the one who wanted this, no matter how hard it gets,"_ she reminded herself. "Sure. Let's do this."

* * *

 _ **A couple of days later...**_

"Ow!" Shirley cried out as she stumbled backwards, crashing painfully on the dark blue mat for what seemed to be the hundredth time to her. Towering over her was none other than Andreas Darlton. While Lelouch told her that the general was impressive in appearance, and she had already met him, right now he seemed especially larger to the orange-haired adolescent. He was easily a foot taller than her, and twice as wide.

Currently, Shirley was having her first self-defense lesson with Darlton in the Aries Villa's gymnasium. They were clad in a white spotless tunic which allowed for comfort and gloves. She was all but bubbling with energy and determination before the lesson started, but after a couple of hours sparring with Darlton, she was beginning to have second thoughts. It was not only extremely tiring but tough as well. Darlton informed her that he would be firm and unbending with her, regardless of her relationship with Lelouch, and the training would be strenuous. It sounded like an acceptable idea to her before she started.

"Get up, Miss Fenette," Darlton's voice reached her ears.

"Can we take a break, general?" Shirley winced as she picked herself up from the floor. She may be fit and in good physical condition compared to most people her age, but Darlton was relentless and strict in his training. She could not help but feel exhausted already. "We're already two hours into this without any rest…"

"I'm afraid that in a real fight… your enemies won't be waiting for you to recover!" Darlton darted towards Shirley without warning with a swiftness that belied his huge frame. Worn out and unprepared, she was caught off-guard by Darlton's sudden charge. Her athletic body allowed her to barely duck under the swing, but he quickly followed up with another punch with his other hand. Shirley managed to cross her wrists in front of her as a defensive maneuver, but the blow was too strong, and she was sent sprawling to the ground again unceremoniously, her wrist bones flaring in pain. She groaned as she attempted to prop herself up on the mat. At least Darlton wasn't using his full strength, for judging by his mass, he could have inflicted far greater damage on her.

"I think you're being too hard on her, general," Lelouch spoke up. He was leaning against the white painted wall, watching them spar for nearly two hours now. The prince's arms were folded across his chest. "She's just a beginner after all, and you're way above her weight class."

"With all due respect, Your Highness, Miss Fenette was the one who expressed her wishes to learn how to defend herself as much and as fast as possible. She does not have the luxury of choosing what weight class her enemies will be in, either." Darlton replied steadily, turning his head to look at Lelouch. "I'm just doing what is necessary."

"It's alright, Lulu," Shirley interjected before Lelouch could protest any further. "General Darlton has a point. I really want to do this." She shook thoughts of giving up out of her head and reminded herself that she did not want to burden the prince.

"If you say so," Lelouch disgruntledly backed down. "Just don't push yourself too much, Shirley." He glanced at Darlton from the corner of his eye. The general just earned some grudging respect from the eleventh prince, for most non-royals tend to be toady around members of the Britannian royalty, or at least be deferential towards such. However, Darlton was firm and unyielding, and he was not outright disrespectful, and Lelouch found his attitude rather refreshing.

"Let's try again," Shirley tried not to flinch in pain as she picked herself from the floor, facing the colossal military officer.

"You have spirit," Darlton commented approvingly. Lelouch averted his gaze to the windows while they resumed sparring. The prince could not help but begin to have cold feet about bringing Shirley along with him to Britannia. Perhaps he should not have gotten into a relationship with her in the first place. The dark-haired teenager did not want to end his relationship with Shirley, but neither could he stand to see her hurt just because of him. She was innocent, and he inadvertently made her involved in this hell of a mess.

Lelouch's thoughts were abruptly halted as he spied a matte black limousine came pulling up to the front gates of the Aries Villa through the window. The very familiar passengers alighted and Lelouch recalled that a small entourage of royals would be discreetly arriving at his place to discuss the recent attempt on his life and Shirley's. He immediately spotted Charles zi Britannia, his father and the emperor of Britannia, his half-younger sister Euphemia and his older half-brother Schneizel el Britannia.

"That's all for today, Miss Fenette," Darlton drawled. He looked as though he hardly broke a sweat while continuously winning all the sparring rounds. "You did well for a beginner, but I expect you to do much better for our next session. We'll be practicing shooting at the range as well."

"Shooting?" Shirley murmured as she slowly walked over to Lelouch. She never held a weapon in her life before, and she had never thought of doing so either. Nonetheless, she would learn to wield one if it was part of her training. "I'll try my best to perform better, general." Darlton gave her a swift nod and departed from the room.

"Hey," Lelouch said distractedly, putting an arm around Shirley's waist as she neared him. He peeled his gaze away from the approaching party of royals, resting his amethyst eyes on her face. "So how did you find your first training session?"

"It was demanding," Shirley admitted. She massaged her own shoulders, pulling a face as her muscles twinged. It was far worse than even the most intensive swimming lessons she had during her school days. "I'm aching all over, but I'll do better next time."

"Good to know," Lelouch smiled at her before shifting slightly, looking through the window again. He watched the group of royals making their way to the front door of the villa. "They're here."

"Who?" Shirley asked curiously as she peered through the glass of the window as well. She blinked as she spotted a couple of familiar figures. "Isn't that Euphie? And your father?"

"Yes. They're here to talk about the assassination attempt on us two days ago," Lelouch returned dourly.

"Oh. Am I supposed to be present at that meeting or is this only among royals?" Shirley asked, glancing nervously at the nearing form of the Britannian Emperor.

"No," Lelouch replied shortly. His expression hardened. "I don't trust all of them. Best for you to stay back for now. However, that means I won't be by your side for the next couple of hours…" The dark-haired teen gave his girlfriend a look of unease.

Shirley understood Lelouch's anxiety immediately. He was afraid that something might happen to her again. "Don't worry, Lulu. I won't go out of the villa area this time," the slender girl reassured her boyfriend. "I won't be as silly as before, trust me, Lulu."

"If you say so…" Lelouch grudgingly replied. "What are you going to do in the meantime, then? I'd imagine that this may take a couple of hours at least."

"Well… since I'm having so much free time on hand, I think I'll try to pick up another skill…." Shirley pondered for a while. "Could I try driving?"

"Driving?" Lelouch asked, frowning. Driving was not exactly easy and may have possible risks. "That's a little unsafe… Why driving?"

"I've always wanted to try that," Shirley said brightly. Lelouch raised an eyebrow in askance, and she sighed and launched into her explanation. "And… that man drove me to the warehouse, Lulu. I mean, this may sound totally absurd but… maybe I knew how to drive, I wouldn't have entered his car and-"

"Shirley," Lelouch put a finger on her lips, pausing her rambling in mid-sentence. "Don't you think you're overthinking a little? I mean, even if they're to come after us again, I doubt they'll be asking you to hop in their vehicle again."

"I know that it sounds ridiculous… but this would really help to put my mind at ease," Shirley sighed. Lelouch frowned in disapproval. "Oh, don't fret too much. I'll be fine. I won't go too fast and I'll just be on the track around the villa. Nothing can go wrong." The prince still looked unconvinced to her, and Shirley gave him the puppy-dog eyes. "Please?"

"Fine, but I'm not going to leave you alone." Lelouch groaned, giving in to her again. "I'll assign Jeremiah to accompany you. The car keys are with him. Try not to scratch the car. It's fairly new."

"Thanks, Lulu!" Shirley gushed, darting forward to plant a short kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you later then?"

"Yes, you will," Lelouch said. His expression softened considerably. "Promise me that you'll be safe, alright?"

Shirley titled her head to one side, regarding Lelouch with a tinge of sadness. She could see that he was still concerned and that it was weighing down his mind. She wistfully wished that it was not so difficult for them just to be together. "I promise, Lulu," she replied earnestly. He smiled at her before turning to leave the gymnasium, heading towards the hall to greet his guests…

* * *

"Please make yourselves comfortable," Lelouch stated politely, gesturing around the parlor. His guests slowly made their way to their individual couches. Euphemia elected to sit next to Lelouch and his father and Schneizel chose to face him. Silence reigned for a while until the youngest member decided to break it.

"Hello, Lelouch," Euphemia smiled. Lelouch returned it out of courtesy. "So… how's Shirley?" She was worried about the state of her newfound friend, after the shocking attempt on her life.

The smile melted off Lelouch's face instantly. "She's severely shaken, but she's fine."

"Lelouch," Charles cut into the conversation. "Do you have any confirmation of who was behind this?"

"Yes," Lelouch said firmly. "I've thoroughly investigated and interrogated the culprit."

"Please elaborate, brother," Schneizel interjected, bringing his fingers together, giving him the appearance of being in deep thought.

"His name is Mao," Lelouch growled at the thought of the mercenary locked up in the basement. "He was a famous mercenary in the underworld, especially in the Chinese Federation. He came to Britannia recently in the hopes of finding richer… clients."

"Who sent him?" Euphemia asked quietly.

"The Sword of Akasha. He said it was a blonde woman, with the insignia of the Britannian royal family, and she promised him a million dollars," Lelouch paused momentarily. "That means it's either a princess or one of the Emperor's wives." The prince shot Charles a glare. "In addition, her face was masked, so she took some precautions, and she did not seem to like him very much."

"He told you all that?" Euphemia sat up, surprise in her tone. "That's… very willing of him."

"I had to use some violence before he gave in," Lelouch said shortly. "He wasn't quite keen on cooperating with me before that."

"You _tortured_ him?" Euphemia's eyes widened, and she turned a shade paler.

"Technically, Jeremiah did it, but it was on my orders," Lelouch muttered. He wasn't proud to torment prisoners, but the prince lacked sympathy for the man who nearly took Shirley away from him. Plus, Mao had information that could be useful to him. "It was necessary, Euphie."

"But still…"

"Lelouch," Charles interrupted. Lelouch and Schneizel glanced at their father. "You do know you're fighting an uphill battle against the Sword of Akasha and the other nobles, right?"

"I'm well aware of that, Charles," Lelouch sniffed, annoyed at the interruption. He did not need his father, who was absent from the past nine years of his life to start telling him things that he already knew. Terrorists were always hard to get rid of, and old prejudices do not fade away easily.

"Then I assume you know that this attempt will be far from the last."

"Hold on a moment," Euphemia spoke up, bringing Charles up short. Everyone's eyes were on her, for Euphemia rarely made such a bold action. "If the problem is that Shirley's just a commoner, why not just make her a noble or something?"

All of the other occupants immediately shook their heads. "Euphie, you don't understand," Lelouch sighed. "To achieve the rank of a noble, you must have contributed to the empire. Doing such a thing for no reason would hardly stop the Sword of Akasha. Furthermore, the other nobles may be resentful or angry if we did that, for some of them did work hard to earn their titles. And we don't need any more enemies, Euphie. We have enough on our plates already."

"Plus, Empress Marianne was proclaimed Knight of Honor by his majesty himself," Schneizel supplied. "She did help Britannia to rise, and these terrorists didn't care about that fact. They still murdered her and went after Lelouch and Nunnally."

"Oh." Euphemia opened her mouth, then closed it, slightly embarrassed about how her suggestion was so easily shot down by her older family members. "So what are you going to do about this, Lelouch?"

"First of all, I need to know what Schneizel knows about the Sword of Akasha. He and Cornelia were in charge of hunting them down, wasn't he? What do you know about them, brother?" Lelouch inquired. "Where is Cornelia, by the way? I would like to hear from her as well. What could possibly occupy her attention?" He already knew what was Cornelia up to – after all, he was the one who put her up to it, but the eleventh prince had to play dumb. Lelouch made a note to himself to ask Cornelia the same question later.

"Nothing much," Schneizel admitted, flexing his white-gloved fingers. "Besides their past history and the fact that they have links in the royalty and nobility, they covered themselves much better than last time and that was already much better than most terrorist groups. It's quite tough to track them down. And about Cornelia… she went off to Area 11 with a good chunk of her best troops to stamp out the rising amount of terrorists there." He found Cornelia's actions strange, for he knew that she was meant to lead the Britannian forces against Europia. He wondered what caused her to switch to Area 11.

"Something doesn't quite add up," Charles frowned pensively. "If anything, I expected a bigger, more coordinated effort from them. Instead, a lone assassin with a ridiculously overdone plan to kill you two was sent."

"Terrorists," Schneizel shrugged. "Who knows what they're thinking? Although it does seem strange that they've gotten better at hiding themselves, but gotten much worse at plotting attacks. The only logical explanation is that…" Schneizel shared a glance with Lelouch. "There must be infighting within the organization," both princes said together at the same time.

"It's nice that you two can come up with a conjecture and all, but we're still no closer to finding whoever hired him," Charles said, shifting in his seat to face Lelouch. "A blonde, masked and tall woman, and part of the imperial family, you say? And she gave Mao the impression that she was disgusted with him?"

"Yes, but that hardly leads us to anywhere specific," Lelouch muttered. "I doubt that there's anyone fond of mercenaries, and the blonde hair could easily be faked. The only thing that narrows it down is the fact that whoever hired him was a princess of the Britannian Empire and she was tall…" His violet eyes briefly flickered over to Euphemia, and he instantly berated himself for even thinking of suspecting her. He fervently hoped that his sanity would be intact once this was all over…

* * *

Rolo scowled to himself as he swept a collection of browning leaves off the circular track around the Aries Villa. Normally such a job was reserved for autumn when the trees start shedding their leaves in droves, but for some reason, there was an accumulated amount of leaves on the road, and the other servants somehow elected him to attend to it. He shrugged, not thoroughly bothered by it as he was accustomed to being ordered around even if it did annoy him.

The light brown-haired youngster sighed gloomily, continuing to brush the leaves from the road with an oversized wooden broom. It had been three days since he started working at the Aries Villa and hence, he had three full days to look for the key to the Damocles. Unfortunately for him, either they hid it extremely well or it was simply not in the villa, for it still eluded him despite his best efforts. He banished such pessimistic thoughts. It was not like he was racing against the clock, and he had indefinite amounts of time to search for it.

However, that may change the moment someone made a move on either of his targets. Thankfully, Rolo saw no drastic movements after the assassination attempt, and his lord was in the very building. If the emperor was here to retrieve the key, his master would surely notice it. Thinking about the assassination attempt caused Rolo to briefly wonder how naïve Shirley was. Now that it was over, it seemed like an obvious lie to him, with the objective of drawing her out of the safety of the villa. Perhaps she was just that innocent.

Another thing about Shirley that perturbed Rolo the most was the fact that she cheerfully approached him a day after the incident. She just went through a near-death experience, and the slender girl seemed to have forgotten about it, or at least put it behind her, by the next day and she was chatting warmly with him. What on earth did she want from him? There must be something she was seeking if she kept talking to him amiably. Normally, people only treated him well if they wanted something in return from him. He had patiently tolerated her geniality for some time, and he was bewildered since she never really asked him for anything. It was truly mind-boggling for Rolo.

Rolo snorted and dismissed such thoughts. It was probably nothing but a mere, insignificant inconvenience he has to put up with while he carried out his mission discreetly. He had been entrusted to carry out this assignment, and he will complete it, for he had no other purpose in life anyway. The teenager knew that he was being used as a tool, but he did not care as long as he felt that he was fulfilling something.

The sound of a blaring horn startled him out of his reverie and Rolo jumped, dropping his broomstick. The jarring, near-deafening sound, momentarily stunned him and he witnessed a bright red car speeding towards him, with a familiar, frightened orange-haired girl at the wheel. Rolo made to leap aside, but he responded just a fraction too slow. A tremendous impact slammed into his side, and he could feel his body getting lighter, which was the last sensation he felt before his whole world went black.

* * *

 **A couple of minutes earlier...**

"You're doing well, Shirley," Jeremiah called out from the front passenger seat. Shirley beamed at the Margrave nervously, tucking a strand of her orange hair behind her right ear briefly before both of her hands returned to the steering wheel. "We've almost completed five whole laps around the villa. Just a little more to go. I think it's time for you to start speeding up now." Shirley had been driving the vehicle – the very same which they took when the green-haired noble chauffeured them to the imperial palace, at a slow pace out of caution. It was almost boring to Jeremiah, who was used to far greater speeds.

"You sure?" Shirley hesitantly stepped on the accelerator slightly.

"Yes, you're quite good for a first-time driver," Jeremiah encouraged, grinning at her reassuringly. "Just step on it more, you're going to get cussed at by other drivers if you're traveling at this speed all the time. Besides, you have to be moving faster in some places, for example, the expressway. It'll be good practice."

"If you say so then," Shirley took a deep breath as she pressed on the accelerator again, with greater force this time. The car more than doubled its speed from thirty kilometers per hour to seventy. She blinked rapidly, not used to the much higher speed, and was both exhilarated and nervous. Her fingers clenched the steering wheel so hard that her knuckles turned white.

"That's more like it," Jeremiah muttered under his breath. Despite the fact that the drastic increase in speed made him feel much more comfortable, he dutifully kept an eye out for possible hazards. Just when he blinked, a bend was fast approaching and he realized that Shirley had yet to slow down. "The bend!" the noble cried out. "Slow down at the bend!"

" _Whoops,"_ Shirley thought ruefully as she swerved around the bend, letting up the accelerator as she did so. Seems like they had passed traveling around the bend at an almost dangerous speed than necessary. She was about to congratulate on her success when she suddenly spotted Rolo standing not far from the vehicle. Her eyes widened and she realized there was no way she could step on the brakes in time to avoid the collision. The lithe teenager squeezed her eyes shut as her hand slammed on the horn, and she found herself praying hard.

"Watch ou- Good god!" Jeremiah exclaimed, being cut-off in mid-sentence as the vehicle crashed into Rolo, sending the younger male tumbling haplessly on the windshield before landing headfirst on the road, with a clearly audible and painful thud. Shirley froze the moment she heard the sound, and a heavy lump of shock and panic started welling up inside her. Her violently trembling fingers tapped the steering wheel in her agitation and Jeremiah turned around in his seat. "Go call Lelouch. Tell him what has happened. I'll get him to the medical room," Jeremiah urged as he nearly tore the car door off its hinges while making his exit in his haste. He moved towards the unconscious servant, whose head was starting to bleed sluggishly, and cradled him in his muscular arms carefully. The noble could not help but feel some guilt at the accident because he was the one who made Shirley accelerate the speed of the car. Hopefully, the new servant, Rolo Haliburton, would be fine soon enough.

* * *

"I assume you'll be investigating those that may fit the description?" Schneizel inquired. Lelouch started slightly as he was in deep thought. The four members of royalty were still discussing the assassination attempt in the parlor. "That's what I'll do if I were you."

"Perhaps," Lelouch tapped the side of his head idly. He opened his mouth to continue speaking, but the sound of his cell phone ringing filled the parlor. The younger prince fished out his cell phone. "Caller ID: Shirley". Immediately, his mood darkened, as it reminded him of the events which happened a few days ago. He could not help but have a premonition of dire news. Without further ado, he answered the call, ignoring the curious looks the others were shooting him. "Hello?"

Nothing but silence answered Lelouch. His fingers gripped the electronic device tightly in growing apprehension as he strained to hear anything from Shirley. Finally, after several long and tense seconds, a voice which Lelouch could recognize straightaway spoke nervously. "Lulu…"

"Shirley?" Lelouch mentally sighed with relief. At least it wasn't someone else responding this time. However, Shirley's tone, coupled with the fact that she knew he was in a meeting with other royals, more or less informed him that something grave had occurred. "Is there something wrong?"

"I… um… there was an accident," Shirley blurted out anxiously. Lelouch paled and he straightened his back. "We're fine with no injuries, but… Rolo was sweeping the road a-and we crashed into him. I d-don't know if he's going to be fine, he's bleeding from the head and everything! Jeremiah's carrying him to the medical room now."

"Shirley, I'll be coming over right now. I'll see you there," Lelouch replied. For a brief instant, he felt glad that only a servant sustained injuries and she was fine, then he chided himself for his callousness.

"Thanks, Lulu. See you there," Shirley said quietly.

Lelouch ended the call promptly and noticed the stares from his other companions. "Something just happened, and I need to attend to the matter right now. We'll continue this another time." Privately, he doubted that there would be a second meeting, for his fears of the Sword of Akasha having members in the Britannian royalty had been confirmed. He was starting to grow distrustful of the other royals, and might secretly investigate all of them. His amethyst eyes rested on Euphemia again. " _Perhaps not every royal_ ," he reminded himself.

"Was that Shirley? Is everything okay, Lelouch?" Euphemia leaned forward.

"There was a problem of sorts," Lelouch responded, careful to be cryptic. While he knew that Euphemia can be trusted, there were at least two other members of the imperial family in the room. "I'll settle it. Don't worry. Farewell," he added, looking at the others before turning to leave.

"Lelouch," Schneizel called out, causing Lelouch to pause in his tracks. "It's been nine years since our last game of chess. Let's meet up for one someday, shall we?"

"I'll try," Lelouch's lips tugged upwards slightly in a small smile at the recollection of playing his favorite game against his older half-brother nearly a decade ago. "Now if you excuse me, I must leave now."

"If you say so," Schneizel returned, watching the raven-haired prince departing the parlor. He frowned slightly at what would cause Lelouch to abruptly end the meeting. _"I do hope it's not another imbecile acting against my orders again._ "

* * *

"How is he, doctor?" Shirley asked the doctor of Aries Villa, a balding middle-aged man with graying hair, who reminded her of her old history professor, Mr. Jones, back in Ashford Academy. She was sitting on the bench outside of the ward, with Lelouch by her side, waiting for the doctor to give them the news.

"Hmm, mister Haliburton has sustained a concussion. On the bright side, his physical injuries will heal fairly quickly," the doctor said slowly. "However, we're not completely certain, but it's highly likely that he may suffer from amnesia." Shirley's shoulders slumped, a mixture of relief and guilt on her face.

"H-how long until he recovers fully?" Shirley inquired.

"It's honestly hard to predict, Miss Fenette. Patients suffering from amnesia usually will recover their memories eventually, but the time taken in such cases varies. It may take as long as a few years, or never at all, or as short as a couple of weeks."

"Can I go see him?"

"Yes, you could, but I'd advise you to be patient with him. He's awake right now, but he would be very confused and may not recognize you, depending on how severe his amnesia is."

"I understand. Thanks, doctor," Shirley said to the older male, who nodded politely back at her before departing.

"Accidents happen, Shirley," Lelouch squeezed her hand reassuringly, having sensed the guilt building up inside Shirley for crashing the vehicle into Rolo. She gave him an appreciative smile in return.

"I know, but on my first try? I must either have horrible luck or be a terrible driver," Shirley suppressed a humorless laugh. She shook her head, dispelling the pessimistic thoughts, unwilling to let them linger in her mind longer than necessary. "Anyway, shall we go in and see Rolo?"

"After you," Lelouch gestured at the ward's door. Shirley stood up and after a moment of hesitation, she slid the door aside, peering warily inside the ward, with Lelouch following suit.

"Um, hello. How may I help you…?" Rolo asked shyly from his bed, the moment Shirley entered the ward. A white, spotless bandage was wrapped neatly around his forehead. She and Lelouch traded uncertain glances.

"We're visiting you, actually, to see whether you're okay," Shirley answered slowly. Her green eyes rested on Rolo's confused pink ones. "Do you… remember who we are?"

"I'm afraid not…" Rolo scratched his head, staring at Shirley intently. While he did not recognize her at all, he found her quite striking. "Do you know me?"

"We're your employers, truthfully speaking. I'm Lelouch vi Britannia and she's Shirley Fenette," Lelouch entered the conversation. "You've been involved in a car accident while working for us. Do you recall what happened?" It was doubtful that Rolo would remember it if he did not even recognize them, but it was worth a try.

"No," Rolo admitted. "Nothing at all."

Shirley crossed the room and took a seat on one of the stools at Rolo's bedside. "I'm sorry, Rolo," her lip trembled. "I was the one who caused the accident."

"It's… fine," Rolo was somewhat taken aback. No one apologized to him with such sincerity before, even when he was hurt in previous incidents in the orphanage. "I don't even recall an accident."

"What do you remember?" Shirley asked curiously.

"Well… my name is Rolo and I was raised in Lyonesse orphanage. I was leaving the orphanage for something and… that's all."

"You can't recall your last name?"

"Not really…"

"It's Haliburton," Shirley supplied. She felt an intense rush of pity towards the adolescent before her. She wondered whether there was anything she could do to help him to regain his memories, and an idea struck her. "Do you have any friends or relatives?" She asked excitedly, smiling at Rolo. She heard that people close to amnesic patients often help them to recover faster.

"Friends…? Relatives?" Rolo repeated, the words unfamiliar on his tongue.

The smile slid off Shirley's face. "You mean you don't have any?"

"What are friends?" Rolo asked blankly.

"..." Shirley opened her mouth to speak, then closed it, staring in disbelief at Rolo. She looked at Lelouch, who looked equally nonplussed as her. "Well… friends are people you enjoy being with. They help and support each other… share good times together and make each other feel better."

"Oh," Rolo had no idea how to respond. "Um, I suppose I don't have any then."

"You're all alone?" Shirley asked quietly.

"I don't know. All I know is that I don't remember anything about having friends or family."

Shirley's brows furrowed as she continued eyeing him with concern and sadness. Prior to the traffic accident, she had attempted to befriend Rolo, partly because she felt lonelier in the Aries Villa as compared to Ashford Academy. While she had Lelouch and Darlton to interact with, the latter was often too stiff and formal and she was used to having a larger group of friends to interact with back in Ashford. The other servants and staff in the villa often treated her formally and respectfully, which made it hard for her to make friends with them. Additionally, all of them are significantly older than her, with the exception of Rolo, who was around her age. "Well, I could be your friend if you don't mind," she smiled.

"Are you sure…? I have no idea how to be a friend..." Rolo asked warily.

"That's completely fine," Shirley beamed radiantly at Rolo. "Friends?"

Rolo gazed at her outstretched slender hand uncomprehendingly for a couple of seconds, before realizing that he should shake it. He slowly extended his hand forward, grasping Shirley's and shook it slowly. "Friends," Rolo affirmed, although he had no idea what was expected of him and he wondered where this would lead him.

* * *

Schneizel donned his spiked mask as he exited his room in the Sword of Akasha's base. For what seemed to be the umpteenth time to him, he was heading towards the chamber where they normally held their meetings. He was already starting to feel slightly weary of disguising himself, but it was necessary for him. After all, if he showed his face openly and one of his men got captured, there was the possibility of his identity being revealed, for not many of his subordinates were made of stern stuff.

The lanky blonde prince recalled the events which set him on the path of claiming the Sword of Akasha for his own. Ever since he was a child, he was noticed for his brightness and ambition. Charles zi Britannia recognized his ability and decided to test his mettle when he was merely ten, noting the vast difference between Schneizel and his older half-brother Odysseus. The emperor installed Schneizel as part of his administration, which introduced the then fledgling prince to politics. Schneizel often did his duties perfectly, which caused many to praise him for his sharpness at such a tender age.

However, as the years passed, the exposure to such matters led Schneizel to be disillusioned in not only his own nation but the entire world. War, terrorism, corruption, and poverty was getting increasingly common. When he was at the age of thirteen, he was already disgusted by the state of the world and saw that humanity needed one thing - order and unity, in order to bring an end to such problems. Thus, he devised a plan to unite the entire world through fear by using a technological marvel. The Damocles.

The Damocles was a colossal, state-of-the-art, flying fortress which will dwarf even the largest of battleships. It was equipped with a multitude of destructive weapons, which would even make the entire Britannian military envious, and elaborate, impenetrable defense systems. Once at a certain altitude, it has the power to bombard anywhere on the globe with extremely long-range armaments. The prince was utterly convinced that with the Damocles, eventually every nation and individual will submit to the might of the fortress, or face obliteration. While he found the idea of using force to get people to comply rather distasteful, he reasoned that it was definitely better than letting the world crumble and rot. No politicians would dare to remain unscrupulous or declare wars with the fortress's weapon systems firmly fixed on them. He can even use the Damocles to force people to do his bidding, and hence finally create a world with order.

Of course, a project as humongous as the Damocles Fortress would require Schneizel to sink billions, if not trillions, of money to build it. Additionally, he required the sharpest of scientific minds to make his dream a reality. He charmed, tricked and beguiled the most talented military scientists of Britannia to assist him in his endeavor. Only a few of them remained unconvinced, such as the well-known Earl Llyod Asplund. The prince formed them as a secret organization known as the Tromo agency. As for funding, he quietly and cautiously embezzled money from both the royal and national treasury, and he was ever so careful not to leave any traces behind. Inevitably, someone would notice it and may even suspect him as the misappropriation of funds continued, but the Damocles would be already completed by then.

After seven years of backbreaking work and deceit, the Tromo agency finally informed Schneizel that the Damocles was nearing completion. He was at first elated, then he realized the fortress bestowed overwhelming power on whoever wielded it. Unwilling to risk it falling into the wrong hands, he ordered them to lock the Damocles's controls and design a special, one-of-a-kind, key that could access the Damocles.

Unfortunately for Schneizel, that proved to be a mistake. When the Tromo agency sent the key's creator to deliver it to him, from Cambodia to Britannia, Empress Marianne's men somehow intercepted it. This then alerted the Emperor of the Damocles's existence, since the schematics were with the courier as well. Thankfully, neither his name nor the location of the Damocles was revealed. Nonetheless, both Charles and Marianne deemed it too large a threat and confiscated the key.

At that point of time, Schneizel was furious as he was at his limit of embezzling from the treasury. Creating the exact same key was out of the question since only the smith knew how to make it, and he was executed already. His choices were either to recover the key or build another fortress, which would take nearly twenty years since the other royals are beginning to notice that money has been missing from the treasury. He selected the former and used his position as prime minister to search the imperial palace to no avail. As Marianne was the one who confiscated the key and it was not in the imperial palace, he deduced that it was in the Aries Villa. The only problem was how he was going to enter and search for it without drawing suspicion.

Schneizel decided to use Victor zi Britannia, elder brother of Charles, so that he can enter the villa. Victor was the leader of the Sword of Akasha back then, although that was a fact known to a few - not even Charles was aware of that. They were ordered to disband by the emperor, but they continued to operate in secret instead. Victor only kept the Sword of Akasha from attacking Marianne out of respect for his brother, but Schneizel knew that his uncle was disturbed by his brother's changes after getting to know and marrying Marianne. All it took was some whispering and stirring up his fears before Victor finally chose to assassinate the vi Britannia family,

Pleased with how easy it was to goad Victor, Schneizel elected to sneak into the villa with a few of his most trusted men while the Sword of Akasha carried out its dirty work. Fate seemed to be determined to deter the prince from obtaining what was rightfully his, as some of Marianne's guards decided to stay behind despite her orders to withdraw. While the Sword of Akasha assassins outnumbered the bodyguards, the imperial guards were highly trained and out for vengeance after they saw Marianne's bullet-riddled corpse. Seeing no point in remaining in such a dangerous zone, Schneizel beat a hasty retreat, although not before he witnessed Nunnally caught in the crossfire.

Eight years later, after Charles investigated the incident, the emperor decreed that the Sword of Akasha was to be exterminated. He appointed Cornelia and Schneizel to track down those in hiding and arrest them. While the second princess was all but insistent on executing them on the spot, the prime minister preferred to imprison them and only execute them after their guilt has been determined. Or at least that was what he said publicly. In truth, he recognized the usefulness of having terrorists – fanatics committed to your cause, on his side and set to liberate them as Infinity. He may have a team of brilliant scientists or engineers, but none of them were fighters. In short, Schneizel required men that were devoted and easily lured by the promise of power, something which was denied to the Sword of Akasha ever since its abolishment after Charles's ascension. Once the new world was created, he would quietly and slowly erase them. Insane terrorists clinging to the past had no place in his utopia. But first, he had to recover the key, and hence, he sent the young man he had groomed into his best agent to infiltrate the Aries Villa under the guise of a servant.

The reason why Schneizel was so reluctant to assault the Aries Villa was because his preference to be cautious. He had no idea whether the key was in the villa or not. If it was truly in there and their attack failed, Charles might move it to a different location out of fear to prevent it falling into his hands. Even if their attack succeeded, surely the Emperor would be alerted and would arrive shortly, given the villa's close proximity to the imperial palace. Additionally, Schneizel's forces, even if it was bolstered by the Sword of Akasha's, could not stand up against the sheer might of the emperor's troops, which would be accompanied by the Knights of the Round. Thus, they would only have very limited time to search for the key. If it was not in the villa at all, Schneizel would be wasting his resources and risking his troops for absolutely nothing. It was best for the blonde prince to first determine whether it was really concealed there and use Rolo to discreetly retrieve it.

Schneizel shoved the doors to the meeting room wide open, exposing his masked self to his subordinates, who stared at him impassively. He mentally sighed. Right now, he had to throw them a bone, or risk being doubted and even overthrown by them, for they were getting impatient by what they saw as passivity. "My comrades!" Infinity announced, throwing his cloak back as he gestured dramatically. "You've called for action, and I have heard you! We may not be able to move against Lelouch vi Britannia, but we must still uphold our beliefs!" Exhilarated and puzzled murmuring filled the room.

"What do you mean, Infinity?" Grand Duke Ricardo demanded, a flummoxed expression on his bearded and lined face. "Who is our target?"

"Odysseus eu Britannia and Emily Taylor," Schneizel declared. "We were too caught up in the return of Lelouch that we seemed to have forgotten that he was not the only royal who brought a mere commoner to the ball. Furthermore, Odysseus is a disgrace to us, the high elite of Britannia, for he not only flirts with lowly filth but is utterly useless and incapable!" This statement was met with heated muttering, but the anger was not directed at Infinity, but towards Odysseus instead. "Tomorrow, we will strike at the very heart of his residence, Valac Palace!"

* * *

Author's Note: Ugh, this was horrible to write…. So much setting up and talking here.

Poor Odysseus. He's not going to have it easy, I'd say, for he is less cautious than Lelouch, plus he doesn't have as many guards. But who knows, someone may step in and save his hide. We'll just have to see next chapter.

Oh, and I think there may be a number of people who would like to ask me whether I intend for Shirley to become an 'action girl'. Well… it may look as though I'm trying to make Shirley as such, but I have no real idea now, because honestly I don't think her personality suits that sort of role. I mean, she CAN be… but I doubt it. The main reason why I wanted her to learn self-defense is because, in my opinion, after Mao's attack, she would not want to be a 'burden' of sorts on Lelouch. Especially during tough times. And she wouldn't want to be the damsel in distress all the time, if she could avoid it. I kind of see her as a damsel who tried to be the heroine in the anime the moment she picked up the gun and went to help Lelouch when Jeremiah confronted him in canon. Unfortunately, we all know how that turned out... (sadface)

Do let me know what you guys think, nonetheless. I'm quite uncertain about how this chapter would turn out, due to the direction this story is heading to.


	15. First Blood

Author's Note: We'd be deviating from the story's genre in this chapter... because it's action time. In this entry, we get to see both Infinity and Lelouch in their military debut. This is a quite long chapter, nearing thirteen thousand words, minus the lengthy author notes at the end (which are essential as I'm explaining myself). Initially, I didn't want to put the mecha combat bits this early, but I thought it would be good filler to go along with the more important plot points in this chapter, so if you're leery of action... well, at least there's still something. And there wouldn't be a lot of emphasis on combat in the later chapters. This is just one of those rare moments.

I must be having a bad case of jitters nowadays because I'm always so reluctant to post a new chapter. Ugh. Hopefully, that will be fixed soon enough.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass at all, no matter how much I wish I do. Even if I did I'd probably screw it up somehow...

* * *

 **Chapter 15  
** **First Blood**

A strong gust of wind swept the fringe of Suzaku's chestnut brown hair aside and he absent-mindedly brushed it back. He stepped out of the transport aircraft, which just landed in Pendragon. He had just been reassigned to Cornelia's army. The Japanese teenager wasn't sure why the higher ups decided to do so. Perhaps either General Bartley or Prince Clovis himself did not see much point in keeping him in Area 11. In truth, Suzaku was more than glad to leave Clovis's unit. The widespread racism disallowed him from rising to higher ranks, and thus it prevented him from his goal of changing Britannia from within. Furthermore, the amount of rampant corruption disgusted him on a personal level. He wondered if the other royals were aware of Clovis's negligence, and would they even care if they knew.

Accompanying Suzaku was his long-time colleagues in the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps, the renowned and eccentric professor Lloyd Asplund and his assistant, Cecile Croomy. It was a long flight from Area 11 to Pendragon, and all three of them were feeling a little exhausted. "No one to receive us?" Lloyd asked, noting the lack of personnel around the airstrip.

"That's strange," Cecile remarked. "I thought Prince Clovis notified Princess Cornelia of our impending arrival. I would have expected at least someone to greet us at the very least."

"Maybe they're late. Let's wait a little while," Suzaku suggested. They stood near the airstrip while examining the base. Upon taking a closer look, Suzaku realized that it was too quiet for a military base and there was hardly anyone in sight. It was as though it was abandoned.

As the minutes ticked by, Suzaku found his patience running thin. "Shall we take a walk around to see whether we can find anyone?" he spoke. "If someone was supposed to pick us up, he isn't coming anymore. He's nearly an hour late."

"Beats standing around," Lloyd said jovially. The older male started to walk, and Suzaku and Cecile quickly followed.

It did not take them long to stumble across a bored looking soldier, sitting on a pile of crates. The rank of a corporal was emblazoned on his sleeves. "Hey there!" Lloyd called out, waving madly at the soldier, who stood up and stretched, yawning as he did so.

"Greetings," the soldier replied politely. "How may I aid you?"

"We've just been reassigned here from Area 11. We're looking for someone to give us our new positions," Suzaku stepped forth. "Could you guide us?"

"Normally that would be Princess Cornelia," the soldier eyed Suzaku warily, having noticed that the latter was not of Britannian lineage. "She usually could be found on the highest floor of that tower behind me." The corporal jerked his thumb backwards at a tall ivory building behind him.

"The princess takes care of such things?"

"Aye, she prefers to personally assess her soldiers… No matter where they come from."

"I see. Many thanks then," Suzaku nodded. He noticed the almost disparaging stare the soldier gave him earlier but chose not to say anything. No sense causing any unnecessary trouble. He was about to walk away when the soldier extended a hand to stop him.

"I said usually, Eleven," the soldier grunted. Suzaku's facial muscles twitched. "However, Princess Cornelia just departed on a mission not too long ago. No one knows where she is and what she's doing. You won't find her there."

"How about her second in command?" Suzaku asked, fighting his increasing dislike of the corporal.

"Lord Guilford? He left for the European frontier yesterday."

"Who's next in the chain of command?"

"General Darlton. He's not here either. He has been appointed in charge of the Aries Villa's security."

"So who's in charge now?" Suzaku asked, refraining himself from rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"Well, Princess Cornelia left Princess Euphemia behind… So I guess she's in charge now," the corporal looked at Suzaku, meeting his eyes evenly. "You can find her in that same tower I pointed out earlier."

"Right… Thank you," Suzaku muttered, more than glad to leave the corporal behind. He waited until the trio walked out of earshot before craning his neck over to regard his companions. "Do either of you have any idea of what's princess Euphemia like?"

"No one really knows," Cecile shrugged. Lloyd shook his head slightly as a reply. "She's rarely seen because she just finished schooling, I believe. She has only come out into public light recently."

"Let's just go on then," Suzaku forged deeper into the military base, his pace doubling, causing his companions to hasten in order to catch up with him. He crossed his fingers in his pockets, hoping that Euphemia would at least be better than Clovis. He had enough with unscrupulous royals.

* * *

"All units, move out!" Infinity declared. Three groups of twenty-five Knightmares each, all of them dark-blue painted Vincent Wards rose to the skies. Each Knightmare was equipped with an assault rifle, grenade launcher, hip-mounted slash harkens, additional chaos mines and a float system. "Remember the plan, comrades." Infinity turned the communication channels off as he observed his forces. He was accompanying them, but will monitor the battle instead of participating in it directly. The prince opted to use a Vincent Ward like the rest of his troops, although he could choose a commander model. No point advertising himself as the leader, especially if a Vincent Ward would be sufficient for his role of commander.

Schneizel watched with mild distaste as the first group of Knightmares slowly approached Valac Palace. Regardless of his personal opinion of Odysseus, he did not like the idea of killing him just because his troops needed a target to vent themselves on. Nonetheless, he was determined to make his older brother a necessary sacrifice to protect his position as leader of the Sword of Akasha. His mind wandered back to the far past, recalling the moments he spent together with Odysseus as a child, and could not find a single shred of hesitation in himself at the thought of slaying him. It was a necessary action, and for the greater good of the world once his goals were achieved. It took a few minutes before his destination became visible along the horizon. The palace was a magnificent silver building which gleamed brilliantly in the rays of the sun. It was unfortunate that it would be marred by his actions.

"Nearing Knightmare units, please be advised. You are drawing close to Valac Palace, the royal residence of crown prince Odysseus," a stern voice announced on the communication channels. "Turn back if you have no business here."

"This is General Whiters speaking. We are well aware of that fact," Calares lied, careful to keep his voice neutral. He was appointed as the commander of the first squadron, and Infinity ordered him to come up with both a fake identity and a reason for their approach, and his leader would somehow hack the Britannian database to create a false person to match it. "However, we have reason to believe that Valac Palace is no longer safe for his Excellency. There was a terrorist bomb threat made, and we are sent by his majesty himself to secure the palace."

There was a brief pause. "Such a threat was unheard of. I'm afraid we require more details," the voice finally said, apprehension and uncertainty laced in his tone.

"There's a risk of having our communication channels hijacked by the terrorists. We will share the details with you later when we land. We shall continue approaching. Rest assured that our weapons will remain powered down." Calares motioned to the rest of his squadron to stow their weapons away.

"Very well. We shall receive you in our Knightmare frames soon."

"Thank you for your cooperation," Calares smiled deviously. The ex-duke did not expect them to trust him so easily, and his fingers tightened around the triggers of his weapons in anticipation. He was only a minute away from reaching the palace now…

* * *

"How do you find this place, Emily?" Odysseus asked kindly. The crown prince and the commoner, who was his dance partner for the Britannian Ball a few days ago, were having tea at one of the palace's balcony, the former having invited her to visit when she had the time. Despite his relaxed demeanour, privately he was feeling slightly uncomfortable due to the Sword of Akasha's return. He pushed such thoughts aside. "Leave worrying for later. Right now's the time to relax."

"It's beautiful, Your Highness," Emily commented shyly. The petite redhead surveyed the breathtaking view of the lush forests and the mountains in the distance. The gentle sound of a stream rushing and birds chirping lively added to the serenity of their surroundings. "Thank you for inviting me here."

"It's a small matter, and call me Odysseus," the crown prince laughed lightly. "It's a magnificent place, but it is too big for me. It gets a little lonely sometimes."

"Are you hinting me to visit more often, Your H- Odysseus?" a slow smile started spreading on Emily's face, having seen through Odysseus's words easily.

"Well, I have lots of spare time. My father doesn't really assign me any tasks..." Odysseus shrugged, attempting to be nonchalant. The Crown Prince then gestured at the palace around him. "Or you can even stay here with your family. There's plenty of empty rooms around. Your family won't have to return to that small house anymore."

"I appreciate the offer, Odysseus," Emily said slowly, placing her barely touched cup of tea down on its plate. While she liked the idea of living luxuriously, she preferred to do it on her own merit, not because a prince liked her. "But I'm afraid I can't take it up. We'll be a burden on you."

Odysseus opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment, a guard, barely into adulthood, entered the balcony hastily. "Your Highness!" the guard saluted.

"What is it? I thought I said I didn't want to be disturbed," Odysseus grumbled, chafed at the interrupt.

"Pardon my interruption, Your Highness. However, a group of Knightmare Frames just landed here at the palace. They claim that the emperor sent them after there was a terrorist threat targeting this place was made!"

"A terrorist threat?!" Emily squeaked, sitting up in her wooden chair.

"Did they say which terrorist group?" Odysseus demanded, his heart heavy in his chest. "If it's the Sword of Akasha, then Emily's in trouble as well…"

"No, Your Highness. We are currently communicating with them to verify whether their claims are true or not."

"You mean you let them land without even confirming whether they're our allies or not?!" Odysseus exclaimed loudly, slapping a hand to his forehead. A sinking sensation formed in his chest.

"S-sorry, Your Highness! It was the captain's decision! Their weapons are powered down and they are already waiting for us to communicate with them," the boyish guard stammered. The crown prince ignored him and strode inside the palace to one of the windows. True to the guard's words, there were approximately two dozen Vincent Wards clustered around the palace's entrance. A small group of his forces, ten Gloucesters, two generations out of date compared to the Vincent Wards, faced them with their lances at the ready. Odysseus noticed that the Vincent Wards indeed had their weapons powered down and were not making any threatening moves, and he allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

At that precise moment, there was a thunderous sound of gunfire which promptly tore the ten Gloucesters apart. The communication channels were choked with shocked cries and screams as the Knightmares exploded. Odysseus stared in confusion, for none of the Vincent Wards made any moves. The crown prince snatched the radio transmitter of the guard earlier, who was now frozen in shock. "Security, what's going on?!" Odysseus urged frantically.

"T-there's another group of Knightmares behind us, Your Highness! Vincent Wards as well," a panicked operator replied. "They've only shown up on the radar a few minutes ago, but they suddenly made a deviation towards us! They're the ones who opened fire on our forces!"

"All soldiers, to your battle stations!" an alarm blared insistently throughout the palace. "I repeat, all soldiers, to your battle stations!"

Odysseus swallowed heavily as the group of Vincent Wards before him started to move, grabbed their weapons and aimed them at the palace. "Send a call for reinforcements to every nearby military base and his Majesty!" Odysseus instructed. He watched as the remaining guards charged out in their Gloucesters. "Even so, we're outnumbered here and most likely reinforcements won't make it in time. I must escape with Emily right now."

The crown prince hastened towards the balcony. "What's happening?" Emily cried out, clearly frightened by the sudden bloodshed. She had never experienced any sort of violence before, and right now she found herself in the thick of it.

"We have to leave right now. We need to get out of here," Odysseus informed Emily before grabbing her wrist. Not knowing what else to do, she mutely nodded and allowed him to pull her along. "We'll be heading to one of the escape routes."

* * *

"Squadrons one and two, the enemy Knightmare Frames are arriving," the garbled voice of Infinity came on the communication channels. Calares smiled grimly. He had not battled anyone in months.

"I have access to their positions. Follow my orders and victory will be assured."

"What, does he expect us to be his lapdogs?" Ricardo grumbled in his cockpit. His fingers gripped the trigger of the Knightmare's assault rifle.

"Patience, Ricardo. At least he's no longer keeping us cooped up in the base," Calares admonished. "This time, we get to uphold the beliefs of the Sword of Akasha!"

Ricardo did not reply, as Infinity's voice came back on again. "One P-One to One P-Twenty Four, and One B-One, advance slowly towards the entrance. The majority of their troops, eighteen Gloucesters, are waiting to ambush you. Throw your chaos mines inside at these designated spots before entering." The twenty-five Knightmare's screens flashed with the highlighted areas where they should throw their chaos mines.

"Two P-One to Two P-Six, circle around the palace as air support. Pick off any stragglers and keep an eye out for Britannian reinforcements," Infinity continued smoothly. "Two P-Seven to Two P-Seventeen, there are a total twelve Gloucesters scattered around the palace to guard the rear and the side entrances. I'll mark them on the map for you. Flush them out."

"Affirmative."

"With this, our head-on attack will push back their main force to the courtyard," Infinity mused aloud. "Two P-eighteen to Two-P-twenty four and Two B-One, secure the courtyard. Once they retreat to that area, they'll be sandwiched between our two forces." He paused to switch communication channels, addressing the third and last squadron. "Squadron three, have you done what I asked?"

"Yes, sir. I've evenly distributed the squadron across the escape routes. All five escape routes are now blocked. Five Vincent Wards will be circling around the area as well, in case there's another route we are not aware of."

"Well done," Infinity did not bother to inform his subordinate that another escape route would be out of the question, for he knew the inside of Valac Palace like the back of his hand. "Now we shall just wait for crown prince Odysseus to be captured. Squadron one, move out right now. Remember my orders."

"Yes, my lord," Calares obeyed, slowly guiding his Knightmare forward, the rest of his unit advancing cautiously with him. "Be prepared to throw the chaos mines on the count of three. Three… two… one!" All twenty-five Vincent Wards snapped a chaos mine, which was attached to their hips, and activated them in a smooth motion. They hurled the spherical grenades inside the palace and charged sideways to take cover from the impending rain of shrapnel.

The eighteen Gloucesters, lined up against the walls of the palace's interior and waiting to ambush their assailants were caught off guard. The chaos mines exploded, showering the room with an immense amount of shrapnel which rapidly shredded the metallic forms of the fifth generation mass-produced Knightmare frames in seconds. A series of deafening explosions announced the destruction of the Gloucesters, and Calares smirked. Prince Odysseus apparently did not place a lot of emphasis on security, for Gloucesters were out of date for at least a year, and they lacked modern defensive equipment.

"Retreat! Retreat and regroup the courtyard!" The captain of Valac Palace's security roared. A pitiful number of Gloucesters survived the onslaught of the chaos mines, and they beat a quick retreat. "Get the Gloucesters stationed at the rear and side gates to regroup as well. We must hold off the enemy's main force at all costs!"

"But sir, they're gone as well! All twelve of them have been eliminated seconds ago."

"What?! A multi-pronged attack? How could they destroy all twelve of them so quickly? They must've known the position of our forces!" The captain snarled as he manoeuvred his Knightmare to the courtyard.

"What should we do, captain?"

"Change our IFF codes! There's something strange going on-" the captain was cut off as he reached the courtyard, his Gloucester shattering into pieces around him. It was so sudden that he did not have time to even consider ejecting. The other Gloucesters behind him followed suit, most of them destroyed even they got to retaliate. The eight Vincent Wards, stationed at the courtyard at Infinity's behest, lowered their smoking assault rifles.

"All enemy Knightmares are eliminated," Infinity smirked triumphantly. Privately, he was slightly disappointed with the lack of challenge the fight presented. He was used to greater odds while waging war on the EU, and Odysseus's security, much like the prince himself, was truly incapable. "Now, we just wait for Odysseus to stumble into our trap like an old fool. Squadron three, any sign of him yet?"

"Speak of the devil, sir… we've just nabbed him and the girl," the leader of the third squadron reported gleefully. "What should we do with them?"

"Bring them to me at the courtyard," Infinity replied curtly. He activated the float system of his Vincent Ward and flew the Knightmare from the secluded spot in the forest, where he was while observing the battle, to the courtyard of Valac Palace. Infinity could not help but grimace at the thought of what was to come next. "It's going to be barbaric…" He exited from his Knightmare, many of his forces doing the same, and stalked towards the centre of the courtyard.

The second prince of Britannia spotted Odysseus and the girl who accompanied him to the ball. Their hands were on their heads as they were forced to walk towards him by the numerous armed men behind them, who forced the pair to kneel before Infinity. Odysseus stared at the masked figure in front of him uncomprehendingly. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Infinity," Infinity tossed his cloak aside airily, employing the theatrics he often used while disguised. "I'm the leader of the Sword of Akasha, and as you can see… we're here for you, Crown Prince Odysseus eu Britannia." Odysseus started when he heard the name of the infamous terrorist organization.

"Why?" Odysseus croaked, gesturing at his surroundings feebly. He stared at the masked visage of the man towering before him. "What have we done to deserve this?"

"Do you need to ask? You've shown interest in commoner filth!" Guinevere spat spitefully at her half-brother. Odysseus blinked and craned his neck to see who spoke, and paled when he did so. "We should not be diluting our bloodline by interacting with such scum!"

"Sister, what is all this?" Odysseus questioned disbelievingly. "You would turn on your siblings just for such a minor thing? And all we've not even a couple or anything! We're just sitting down, having a cup of tea when you folks barged in-"

"Purity of the royal bloodline is no minor thing, Odysseus," Guinevere retorted icily. "And we're not idiots. You always had a soft spot for these lowly vermin. We'll be better off without you anyway. Your ineptness is truly a disgrace."

"You can't be serious, sister," Odysseus began but was silenced as Infinity retrieved a pistol from his pocket and trained it squarely at his head.

"The least we could do for you is to grant you a swift death, Odysseus" Infinity informed his older half-brother. "I can't promise the same for your woman, though."

"Wai-" Odysseus started to protest, but Infinity ignored him and squeezed the trigger, burying a bullet in his brother's skull. The Crown Prince of Britannia, first in line for the imperial throne, dropped dead on the floor, gore trickling slowly from the hole in his head. Emily shrieked in terror and shrank back, her blue eyes wide with horror.

"As for you, Miss Emily Taylor… we have other things in mind for you," Infinity said quietly. Many of the Sword of Akasha members advanced, leering at her, knives and other weapons gripped tightly in their hands. "Make it as quick as possible. Britannian reinforcements will be arriving in half an hour, but we have to leave in twenty minutes to avoid being tracked."

"You can inflict a lot of pain within that time," a voice cackled diabolically, causing Emily to turn pale. She frantically looked around, trying to come up with an idea so she could escape, but failed to do so.

"Wait… please…" Emily whimpered, trying to inch away from the nearing terrorists. Their knives glinted wickedly in the illumination of the fires around the palace. Infinity simply turned around and left the scene, unwilling to witness what his troops would do to her. No one else protested or lifted a finger to intervene, and the only people who heard her screams of agony were those who enjoyed it.

* * *

Grand Duke Ricardo observed his comrades tormenting the sole survivor of their raid, who squirmed with all her might and shrieked in excruciating pain. Her struggles were all in vain - as she was utterly outnumbered. Ricardo spied Guinevere de Britannia sniffing in disdain at Emily's pathetic attempts to defend herself while the other terrorists assaulted her with their weapons. Carine ne Britannia, the young and bloodthirsty fifth princess of the empire, all but giggled in delight as she stepped forward, plunging a serrated dagger between her victim's ribs, eliciting a miserable cry of pain from the latter. Ricardo hoped that she would remember to bring the body of the unfortunate but deserving commoner along with them, for the risk of leaving genetic evidence of her torturers on the corpse would be too great. It would spell calamity for the Sword of Akasha if a weak-willed member was captured and spilled everything, particularly their locations and identities, to the Britannian authorities.

The brawny, dark-haired noble blocked out Emily's screams and instead of partaking in the torture, he stared at the corpse of Odysseus somewhat incredulously. Ricardo could not believe that they had successfully killed a member of the royalty in their very home so easily. While Empress Marianne was assassinated in the Aries Villa, the mission was only a success because their leader back then, Victor, was able to convince Marianne to withdraw most of her royal guard. Odysseus had his full unit of bodyguards, and they still managed to defeat him nearly effortlessly.

Thinking of Empress Marianne made Ricardo's thoughts direct towards Lelouch vi Britannia. If they were able to best the crown prince with such ease, surely they could take down Lelouch. The aristocrat straightened his back and cast a glance for Infinity, but could not find him. A cunning smile started growing on his face as an idea formed in his mind. "Comrades!" Ricardo announced in a deep, booming voice. Most of the Sword of Akasha members looked up curiously at him. "We've just trounced Valac Palace! Aries Villa is only a short twenty-minute flight from here. I say we head there and eliminate Lelouch vi Britannia!" A mix of frantic whispering and cheering met his words.

"That goes against Infinity's plans, Ricardo," someone in the crowd interjected.

"To hell with Infinity!" Ricardo bellowed. "Our beliefs come first! I'll be heading towards Aries Villa, regardless of how many people are following me. So, who's with me?" The assembled men shifted uneasily, trading looks with each other. After a couple of moments, two dozen people stepped up, nodding at Ricardo.

"That's more like it…" Ricardo breathed, grinning malevolently. "Now, board your Knightmare Frames. It's time we taught the eleventh prince a lesson."

* * *

Rolo wandered around the corridors of the villa aimlessly as he searched for something which required cleaning. The high number of servants meant that housekeeping duties would be quickly dealt with. While that was a good thing, he found himself bored out of his mind. The other servants decided to take a break in the parlour, chit-chatting among themselves while helping themselves to coffee and cookies. Rolo decided to exclude himself as he did not know any of them. Hence, he was uncomfortable with them. His reserved behaviour certainly did not help him much either.

Rolo was about to take a turn around a corner when he nearly bumped into Shirley. The lithe girl, who was humming cheerfully to herself, jumped when she saw him. She was dressed casually today – brown shorts and a lime green top. "Oh, Rolo, there you are!" she beamed at him pleasantly. "I was looking for you."

"Hello, Shirley," Rolo greeted her shyly. He noticed that she seemed to be hiding something behind her back with her hands, but he opted not to ask about it. He thought that it might be rude to do so, or put her in a difficult spot, and he did not want to risk his newfound friendship with her, even if he still did not really understand the concept of friends. "How can I assist you?"

"Sheesh, you don't have to be so formal with me, you know," Shirley pouted slightly.

"Sorry," Rolo mumbled, slightly bemused by her words. Technically she was supposed to be his superior, and he should treat her with the utmost respect.

"Oh, don't be," Shirley said brightly. She then adopted a more caring tone. "How's your amnesia? Have you remembered anything yet?"

"Tiny figments... but it doesn't make sense. Overall, nothing has changed. It's still the same," Rolo heaved a sigh. He witnessed Shirley's brows knitting themselves in concern, and he hastened to reassure her. "I'll still be able to work normally, though, if that's what you're worried about."

"Huh?" Shirley tilted her head at Rolo. "I'm just concerned about you. The faster your memories come back, the better it'll be for you." Rolo blinked rapidly in surprise. "Let me know if you need any assistance, alright? I'll be happy to lend a hand."

"Ah… sure. Thanks for the offer," Rolo replied slowly. Privately he was absolutely perplexed. "Why would she want to help me anyway? It's not like she's going to get anything out of it…" Regardless of what he viewed as her bizarre behaviour, he had an unfamiliar warmth brewing inside of his body, which only baffled him even more.

"Don't mention it," Shirley smiled amiably at him, waving his expression of gratitude aside. "Anyway, do you happen to have some free time right now? I've planned something for you."

"For me?" Rolo was taken aback again. He was beginning to lose count of how many times he was disconcerted today. "Uh, I have nothing much to do now, but I thought I'm supposed to go check on the other rooms-"

"Oh, leave that mundane stuff to the others," the slender swimmer said cheerfully, grabbing Rolo by his wrist. The younger teenager almost jumped at the touch of Shirley's hand. "Come on!" Without another word, she started moving.

"Where are we going?" Rolo managed to ask as he kept up with Shirley's brisk pace. Rolo initially thought of protesting but decided to quietly go along with her. A small part of him was curious about what she mentioned earlier. No one had planned something for him before.

"To the kitchen," Shirley answered instantly. She turned her head slightly to look at him over her shoulder. "It's an important day for you."

"It is? I don't remember…"

Shirley merely beamed at Rolo again, although this time it was mixed with some melancholy. A minute later, they reached a wooden sliding door which separated the kitchen from the rest of the house. She knocked on the door and called out. "Lulu? Are you ready?"

"Ready when you are," Lelouch's voice, partially muffled through the door, responded. Shirley eagerly slid the door open and ushered the still confused Rolo into the kitchen. A wooden rectangular table was centred in the rather spacious room, and upon it was a sumptuous chocolate butter cake, complete with whipped cream raspberries and seventeen lit candles. "Happy seventeenth birthday, Rolo!" they chorused in unison.

"Umm…?" Rolo stared at them uncomprehendingly. He did not remember when exactly his birthday was at all.

"Today's your birthday," Shirley read Rolo's dumbfounded expression on his face. "The twenty-eighth of June. You might not remember it, but you wrote that on your application form when you first came here." She crossed the room, picking up a tiny box from the edge of the table. It was about the size of her palm, wrapped in white decorative paper and a red ribbon, and she held it out for Rolo to take. "Here's your present!"

Rolo made no move to retrieve his gift, and instead he eyed it with a mix of puzzlement and mild wariness. Shirley cocked her head curiously at him, as he still made no move to take his gift. "Is something the matter, Rolo?"

"Everything's fine. Why?"

"Well… why not take it?"

"Oh," Rolo reached for the box hesitantly, then slowly took it from Shirley's hands. She patiently waited for him to unwrap it, but Rolo simply continued looking at her with a befuddled expression.

"Erm, aren't you going to open it?" Shirley questioned. She wondered whether Rolo had received a gift before. He seemed so clueless about it.

"Right," Rolo coughed awkwardly as he started unwrapping his present. Shirley watched him raptly as a featureless brown box came into view, and he cautiously opened that as well. Lelouch nonchalantly peered at the contents of the box as well. Rolo's fingers trembled a little as he took the contents out, revealing a white and gold heart-shaped locket. It was attached to a gold chain and a gold symbol, which resembled a four leaf clover, was carved in the middle.

"Do you like it?" Shirley asked keenly. She had it delivered to the villa from a shop since none of them were allowed to leave the house yet. Rolo did not respond as he was too busy examining the locket, and she took it as some form of hidden dislike from him. "Well, I know it looks a little girly, but I thought it was really pretty and that it'd go well with your phone," she added on hurriedly.

"How much?" Rolo asked abruptly.

"What?" Shirley blinked, caught off-guard by Rolo's question. Lelouch raised an eyebrow in the background.

"Um, well… what should I do for this? Money? Extra work?"

"Huh?" Shirley was agape with shock. "Rolo, it's a gift. Hasn't anyone given you a gift before?"

"No," Rolo admitted. His hand held the locket gingerly, as though he was afraid of breaking it. "I don't even know what a gift is."

"A gift is something given to someone without expecting anything back in return," Shirley replied quietly. She gave Rolo another sympathetic look.

"Why would anyone give one?" Rolo frowned. Giving someone a perfectly good item while receiving nothing in return did not make any sense to him.

"Well, it's sort of customary to give it to friends during important events, such as birthdays," Shirley explained thoughtfully. "However, the most important objective of a gift is to make the receiver happy."

"I see…" Rolo's voice trailed off. "Does that mean you want me to be happy then?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Shirley laughed. It was such a silly question to her. "You're my friend, aren't you?"

Rolo pondered that question for a moment. "Thank you, Shirley," He said quietly. He turned the locket over, running his fingers through the item slowly. The amnesiac then retrieved his green mobile phone from his pocket, pausing for a moment before attaching the ivory locket to the electronic device. His pinkish eyes surveyed the combination briefly, and for one of the rare times in his life, he permitted himself to smile.

"Sorry for interrupting, but… the candle wax's melting," Lelouch called out, with a note of urgency in his voice. "Make a wish and blow out the candles, mister Halibu- I mean, Rolo." The prince corrected himself. While he did not feel comfortable enough around Rolo to address him by his first name, he felt that it would be odd to be formal during a celebration.

"Is that how it usually goes?" Rolo inquired.

"Yes, and customarily you're supposed to only think about the wish in your head, not say it aloud," Lelouch shrugged casually. "And you can't tell anyone about your wish either, as it's believed that it would not come true if you do so. It's also normal for us to sing a birthday song-"

"It's okay, I don't need a song," Rolo held up his hands awkwardly. This was all too much for him to take in, and he felt like he'd die of discomfort if they started singing for him.

"Sure," Lelouch exchanged a bemused look with Shirley, and the pair stood back, observing Rolo intently.

Rolo took a deep breath as he approached the table. He leaned over the cake and paused for a moment. "I wish I'll get my memories as soon as possible." The youth blew out the candle lights promptly, and Shirley and Lelouch applauded, the former doing it more enthusiastically than the latter. They plucked the candles from the cake and handed Rolo a cake knife. He looked at his companions quizzically, the knife grasped in his right hand. It felt strangely familiar in his grip, but he shook that thought aside. "You're supposed to cut it," Lelouch answered his unspoken question, having assumed that Rolo never attended a party before.

"Oh," Rolo muttered. Instinctively he flipped the blade over and raised it, poised to bring it down towards the cake in a stabbing motion. He realized what he was doing and he blinked, lowering it slowly. The servant wondered what possessed him to act that way.

"Here, let me," Shirley volunteered, stepping forward. Rolo obediently moved aside and passed the knife to her. Lelouch frowned uneasily as he witnessed the brief moment of how Rolo handled the blade. He made a mental note to observe Rolo in the future, and then he pondered whether he was being too paranoid. The chance of him being an enemy was incredibly low as according to the other servants, he applied for the job weeks before he and Shirley were even together.

Lelouch snapped out of his reverie as he found a spoonful of cake gently pressing against his lips. Shirley smiled at him coyly as she held the piece of food near his mouth. "What's on your mind?" she questioned.

"Nothing," Lelouch quickly said. He maintained a straight face as Shirley fed him the bit of cake, giggling slightly as she did so, and the prince joined in after a while. Her laughter could be rather infectious. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Rolo watching them raptly. The latter had a wistful expression on his face while he distractedly placed a slice of cake on his plate.

"It's pretty good, isn't it?" Shirley asked.

"Of course. I made it," Lelouch rolled his eyes loftily.

Rolo's eyes widened in surprise. "You made it, Your Highness?" He interjected through a mouthful of chocolate cake.

"At Shirley's behest, " Lelouch shrugged indifferently. "It wasn't too difficult anyway."

"Because I wanted it to be perfect," Shirley piped up. "I would have done it if I knew how to."

"Even if you did, I doubt it would be edible," Lelouch joked mirthfully and ducked as Shirley swatted at him in annoyance. Despite that, she grinned sheepishly and her cheeks flared with heat, acknowledging the fact that she was horrible in all things culinary.

"You guys…" Rolo could not resist the urge to smile at them. A surge of gratitude and joy filled him, and suddenly, he found his eyes watering slightly.

"Rolo?" Shirley asked, stunned by his unexpected tears. "Are you that moved by what we did?" she teased.

"I don't know. Maybe," Rolo gave a shaky laugh as he wiped at his eyes. Where did his tears come from? However, they were interrupted when the sliding door opened, slamming against the wall so hard that the kitchen almost shuddered from sheer force. Lelouch leapt to his feet and instinctively moved in front of Shirley defensively. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest before the pair recognized the group of men who entered.

"I'm afraid you have to forgive our intrusion, Your Highness," Jeremiah coughed, noting the obvious birthday celebration they just barged into. Darlton entered the room as well, nodding at Lelouch. The general's hands were carrying a large rifle, and the five men behind them sported similar weapons. Lelouch recognized them as the Glaston Knights, the adopted sons of Darlton. "We have urgent news. Valac Palace has fallen, and Crown Prince Odysseus is dead." Shirley gasped in horror.

"Fallen to whom?" Lelouch demanded, all traces of his good mood vanished.

"Unknown. It's likely that the enemy possessed several high-grade Knightmares. Odysseus's entire guard unit was slaughtered," Jeremiah supplied. He traded a look with Darlton. "Additionally, there's a group of thirty Vincent Wards heading towards us right now. They'll be here in twelve minutes. Their IFF codes identify them as friendly units, but we cannot take any risks."

"Understood. Let's go to the command centre," Lelouch started walking. Shirley and the other military officers quickly followed after him. "I'll be taking command. Darlton, you and your men are to standby in their Knightmares." He glanced over his shoulder at the befuddled servant who was still standing in the kitchen. "Rolo, head back to your room for now until further instructions are given to the staff."

"Alright," Rolo nodded. Lelouch wordlessly turned away and resumed his striding. As the group made their way to the command centre, the prince eyed the surroundings of his home through the windows. Like other residences of royalty, the view was spectacular. He could only hope that it would remain that way after today's events.

* * *

Ricardo was looking forward to the upcoming battle. His brown eyes were wide with hungry anticipation as they stared at the villa before him. He was only a few moments away from annihilating the accursed Eleventh Prince of Britannia. Bad enough that he was born of a commoner, now he had the nerve to bring one into the Imperial palace!

A brief cackle interrupted Ricardo's thoughts. "This is Lelouch vi Britannia, addressing the group of Vincent Wards nearing the Aries Villa. You are not authorized to approach any closer. Turn back at once or we will fire upon you. This will be your only warning. I repeat, turn back at once."

Ricardo's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He did not expect Lelouch himself to talk to them or the strong distrust against them. "This is Duke Alan Spacer speaking. I'm afraid that we cannot turn back. Valac Palace has fallen to a group of insurgents. We were ordered by his majesty to defend the other royal residences. I beseech you to reconsider."

There was no spoken answer from Lelouch. Instead, automatic gun turrets emerged from the earth surrounding the villa, its barrels pointing skyward at the Vincent Wards. Several small specks rose to the sky from the villa. Ricardo's Knightmare identified them as Gareths, mass produced seventh generation Knightmares. The large noble gritted his teeth. Damn Lelouch and his perceptions.

However, he was undeterred from his goal. "All units, prepare for combat!" he screamed. The thirty Vincent Wards collectively drew their assault rifles. "Our target is Aries Villa. Raze it to the ground!"

* * *

Shirley gazed at the oncoming cluster of Knightmares, their flight systems keeping up several hundred feet in the air. She silently observed their weaponry and a heavy sensation of trepidation welled up within her. Each of them had the capability to kill her a hundred times over, and now thirty of them were encroaching on her location. She didn't even know whether they were friend or foe, but she fervently hoped that they were the former.

Lelouch, together with Shirley, Jeremiah, was in the command centre. A team of harried looking operators tending to their stations. Currently, they were all staring at the subject of their agitation. Shirley worriedly glanced at Lelouch. The prince, contrary to most of them, was wearing a look of bored indifference. It was reminiscent of the laid-back times in Ashford Academy, particularly whenever Lelouch was playing a game of chess against a hapless opponent. His relaxed composure and implied confidence helped Shirley to feel more relieved. "Surely Lulu will handle this easily as always," she consoled herself. "And I'll help in any way I can."

"This is Lelouch vi Britannia, addressing the group of Vincent Wards nearing the Aries Villa. You are not authorized to approach any closer. Turn back at once or we will fire upon you." Lelouch picked up a microphone and barked into it, glaring at the flying Knightmares inching closer to his home.

"Lulu, what if they're really here to help?" Shirley piped up curiously. Now that she thought of it, she wondered whether a terrorist organization could own so many high-grade military equipment.

"Doubtful," Lelouch replied tersely. "If whoever sent them was our ally, they would have informed us beforehand. The Sword of Akasha's return is already known throughout all the top military officers, and any sensible military commander would notify us since distrust would be rampant at this point."

"Oh. Right," Shirley flushed slightly. She mentally berated herself for her naivety. "Wasn't the warehouse incident a few days ago enough?" A slim hand darted towards her pocket, grasping the rather comforting handle of a small pistol.

The speakers blared as Ricardo made his response. "This is Duke Alan Spacer speaking. I'm afraid that we cannot turn back. Valac Palace has fallen to a group of insurgents. We were ordered by his majesty to defend the other royal residences. I beseech you to reconsider."

"Run a search for Duke Alan Spacer in the database," Lelouch instructed the operators, who scurried to obey him. Their fingers flew hurriedly on the keyboards. "And open a channel to the Emperor, would you please, Jeremiah?" he added.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah strode to one of the computers, typing furiously as he attempted to open a communications channel with Charles.

"Your Highness!" one of the operators reported. "There is no such noble called Duke Alan Spacer. There was only a Viscount with such a name, and he was executed by second Princess Cornelia a year ago for having connections to the Sword of Akasha!"

Lelouch was about to reply when the main screen in the centre of the room frizzled before it displayed Charles. "Your Majesty," the operators and Jeremiah gave a quick bow to the screen.

"Lelouch. What is it?" Charles asked wearily, ignoring the prince's kowtowing subordinates. The Emperor was already informed of Odysseus's demise, and he was occupied with deciding on a course of action as a response to the attack.

"Tell me, Charles," Lelouch urged. "Did you deploy any military forces to the Aries Villa after Valac Palace fell?"

"Not yet, but we will be doing so soon," Charles answered, frowning slightly. "Why?"

"So you haven't, then. That just confirms it," Lelouch muttered under his breath. He looked straight into the Emperor's eyes. "We're under attack, by the way." Charles blinked in shock, but before the Emperor could get another word out, the eleventh prince cut off the connection abruptly. "I have no time to spare. General Darlton, are your troops ready?"

"Quite."

"Launch all the Gareths. Activate the third and fourth lines of automatic gun turrets," Lelouch ordered. "Initiate the howitzers and prepare them for bombardment."

"Why only the third and fourth lines, Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked. He was quite bewildered, for there was a total of four lines of anti-armour automatic gun turrets surrounding the villa.

"We're going to lure them in a little closer, then smash them from behind with the first two lines later," Lelouch smirked. "They're hilariously bad, honestly. A frontal attack with such a poor excuse. At least they're making it easier for me." The lanky teenager turned towards Shirley. "Shirley, I need you to get to the bunk-" he stopped in mid-sentence when he saw her clutching a pistol.

"I'm staying with you, Lulu," Shirley insisted. "No matter what happens."

"Who gave you that pistol?" Lelouch inquired, staring at the weapon in her hand with some perturbation.

"General Darlton did. We went to the shooting range a few days ago and he passed it to me," Shirley paused momentarily. "You can't shield me from harm all the time, Lulu," she stated simply. Peridot green eyes met amethyst ones. "It's my fight too. They're after us."

"And nothing I say will convince you to head to the bunker?" Lelouch asked weakly.

"Unless you're coming with me as well. If not, no," Shirley gave him a sad smile. "My place is by your side."

"Very well then," Lelouch turned back to face the screens. He felt a sharp pang of remorse. Never once he imagined her holding a firearm out of necessity. He brought this on her. Lelouch shook such thoughts out of his mind. Self-approach can wait. He had to defeat the intruders who dared attack his home. The prince took a deep breath, before declaring, "All forces, prepare for combat!"

* * *

Suzaku was absolutely breathless when he first laid his dark green eyes on Princess Euphemia. He was not sure how she would look like, but he most certainly did not expect a young beauty with a gentle face and a fountain of luxurious pink hair cascading to her waist. Her bluish eyes shone with kindness as they rested on Suzaku's group. They were currently in the ivory building the corporal pointed out to them, seeking to meet the person in-charge of Cornelia's army.

"Greetings," Euphemia smiled warmly at them. "You must be the Advanced Special Envoy Engineering Corps."

"Yes, I'm glad you heard of us," Lloyd waved at her jovially, bringing an amused expression on Euphemia's face. She found the lack of obeisance refreshing.

Suzaku stepped forward hastily and almost stumbled in the process. He kneeled respectfully before Euphemia. "It's an honour to meet you, Your Highness," he bowed his head deferentially.

"Please rise, Kururugi Suzaku," Euphemia said instantly, gesturing at him to do so. Despite being a princess, she was uncomfortable with such veneration since her youth.

Suzaku obeyed at once. "You have heard of me?" He could not resist the urge to ask.

"The son of the last prime minister of Japan, right?" the princess tilted her head, studying Suzaku. For some reason, he was faintly familiar to her, and she thought she saw a picture of him before. The honorary Britannian nodded cautiously. "There's no need for such formalities. Just call me Euphie."

"Umm… right, Your High- I mean, Euphie."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Suzaku," Euphemia's lips curved into a serene smile. A jolt shot through the honorary Britannian. Lloyd noticed it and tried not to snigger. "Can I be of any assistance to you people?"

Suzaku exchanged looks with Lloyd and Cecile. "We were transferred here by Prince Clovis, but we have no idea how are we going to fit in. Mostly he keeps us out of combat operations, and we're uncertain whether we're expected to maintain that role now."

"To be frank, I'm not sure as to how I should determine your roles," Euphemia admitted, giving an apologetic look at the three of them. "I'm not too knowledgeable about… things about the military."

"Aha, so you're new to these sort of things then, Your Highness?" Lloyd asked inquisitively, leaning forward and pushing his glasses up his nose. Cecile resisted the urge to poke her boss hard in the ribs, as there was a royal present.

Euphemia was about to reply when a soldier rushed into the room, almost stumbling in his haste. "Your Highness!" the soldier saluted sharply. "I have dire news to report!" Those words immediately caught the attention of everyone in the room.

"What is it?" Euphemia asked urgently, her pleasant demeanour vanishing at once.

"Valac Palace has fallen, and Prince Odysseus is dead," the soldier swallowed heavily. "And his Majesty says that he has received a message from Prince Lelouch. It appears that the Aries Villa is under attack right now."

"Lelouch?!" Both Euphemia and Suzaku exclaimed loudly. The latter stood up instantly. "Your Highness, please allow me to launch immediately!" The honorary Britannian urged.

"You know Lelouch?" A surprised look appeared on Euphemia's face.

"My family hosted him when he was sent to Area 11 years ago. We attended the same school together and are friends, but that is not important, Your Hi- Euphie," Suzaku replied hurriedly. "If he is indeed under attack right now, I must help him!" Euphemia's eyes widened in recognition. During her visit to Lelouch's place a few days ago, she came across a picture of him together with the student council of Ashford Academy. Suzaku was in the picture as well.

"Princess Euphemia, these are difficult times. Terrorists have infiltrated the nobility and royalty. We can't trust an honorary Britannian like him," the soldier looked askance at Suzaku, suspicion written all over his face.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm no terrorist," Suzaku answered. He was not surprised by the man's disapproval, but the statement concerning the Britannian nobility bewildered him. "Terrorists in the Britannian nobility and royalty?"

"We can trust him," Euphemia spoke, earning stares from both the soldier and Suzaku. "The Sword of Akasha will not work together with honorary Britannians anyway. And I acknowledge that you are on good terms with Lelouch. Go to his aid, Suzaku, and hurry!"

"Thank you, Your High- Euphie!" Suzaku rapidly turned towards Lloyd. "Lloyd, is the Lancelot Conquista ready for deployment?"

"Ready when you are," Lloyd wheezed. "Try to come back alive, Suzaku," he added as Suzaku sprinted off, leaving the scientist and his assistant behind.

* * *

"Knightmare forces, spread out and rise above the enemies," Lelouch instructed. "Use the turrets to target the Vincent Wards as well. Open fire on them after our Gareths engaged the enemies." While his Knightmares were slightly outnumbered, he was certain that he would win easily, especially after the enemy's sloppy excuse.

Outside of the villa, the twenty-six Gareths which comprised of Lelouch's security force rose higher into the sky, well above the Vincent Wards. The Gareths had machine cannons mounted on its shoulders and missile launchers on its chest and legs. Originally they sported hadron cannons in their arms, but Lelouch revised the designs for those in his service. He decreed that a hadron cannon was to be replaced by a wrist-mounted Blaze Luminous energy shielding system to give them a defensive edge, and a single hadron cannon was enough to wreck havoc among their foes. General Darlton could feel the palpable tension rising as the enemies inched closer until the prince finally gave the signal. "Fire!"

The sky was filled with violent, shimmering beams of dark red as the Gareths unleashed a torrent of hadron cannon blasts. The Vincent Wards immediately responded by firing back at their opponents while performing evasive maneuvers. Assault rifle rounds impacted uselessly against the Blaze Luminous of the Gareths, and for a moment, it looked like it was a stalemate. That is, until the automatic turrets on the ground locked on the Vincent Wards, who were occupied with their fight with the Gareths. Fifty calibre armor-piercing shells repeatedly struck them, ripping several of the Knightmares messily into useless shards of metal. Some of them switched their attention to the turrets, but they paid the price when the Gareths seized the opportunity and blew them into pieces with precise blasts of their Hadron cannons.

"Fall back into the trees below, we need cover! We're sitting ducks up here!" Ricardo bellowed furiously, flying his Knightmare downwards to the forests surrounding the villa. More than one-fifth of his troops were already destroyed, and they have yet to even scratch the villa. The noble was beginning to have misgivings about the wisdom of his plan, but he angrily pushed it aside. He would not go back to Infinity, humiliated and defeated!

"Howitzer team, sending you the coordinates of possible enemy landings. Prepare to fire in twelve seconds," Lelouch directed, his fingers flying madly on the keyboard as he calculated the coordinates. "Gareths, pursue the enemy. Use as much firepower as possible to get their attention. Initiate auto-turrets lines one and two, target the enemy Knightmare frames!"

"Roger that," Darlton replied, and his unit of Gareths charged forward, unleashing a salvo of missiles, machine cannon fire, and Hadron blasts. Several of the Vincent Wards turned around to meet the enemy's charge and hastily returned fire. Several well-aimed shots struck a couple of Gareths, their pilots too caught up in their euphoria of winning, one of them promptly detonating while the other spiralled towards the ground, its float system heavily damaged. A dozen more turrets surfaced from the ground, unbeknownst to the Ricardo and his men, and opened fire at their unsuspecting Knightmares' backs, downing at least four Vincent Wards.

"What the hell?" Ricardo roared vehemently, having registered the appearance of more unmanned turrets. "Spilt yourself into two groups! One shall be our rear-guard to hold them off while we descend into the forest! The other group, take care of those damned turrets!" The remaining troops under Ricardo hastened to obey, lobbing their chaos mines at the turrets or simply firing a grenade at them. Darlton seized advantage of the momentary divide of the Sword of Akasha's forces, spreading out the Gareths to attack them from numerous angles. Slash Harkens and missiles struck from multiple directions, and there was simply no way the Vincent Wards could block them all. The scarred general could literally smell the fear and desperation among the Sword of Akasha forces, and smirked triumphantly. It may be Lelouch's first time in taking command of a military operation, but he has proven himself to be a more than capable one.

Just when the Vincent Wards landed on the forest floor and Ricardo made to count his remaining soldiers, an artillery shell landed several feet away from him. It detonated with stupendous force, sending several Knightmares staggering from the blow. It preceded a fully-fledged torrent of explosive artillery shells, which screamed from above and continuously impacted in several spots close to them. The grand duke swore violently as the earth shook tremendously beneath him, his Knightmare's warning alarms shrieking in his ears. The communication channels were choked with cries and screams of his comrades, who were less fortunate than him. By the time the dust settled, the noble grimly counted the number of men he had left, and only came up with twelve. Fully sixty percent of his forces were wiped out even before they got to touch the villa. He had to make a last-ditch decision. "Viscount Henry Magnus!"

"Yes, sir?" the man in question inquired, staring blankly at the war zone around him.

"Let's face it," Ricardo growled. "Both you and I know that the chance of us surviving this is nil. However, we're not going to let them trample us. We are the Sword of Akasha!" the Grand Duke spied the villa on the horizon with disgust and loathing. "You're the most combat trained operative we have. Abandon your Knightmare now and sneak into the villa. Most of their security forces should be occupied by this. Do as much damage as you can, and hopefully kill that damned prince as well."

"Roger that," a lean blonde male ejected from his light purple Knightmare Frame, landing gracefully on the forest floor before making a beeline for the villa.

Ricardo could only spare his comrade a glance before his radar alerted him to another incoming Knightmare, its speed almost startling. "Lancelot Conquista," he read off his screen, glaring at the object of his ire. The white and gold Knightmare seemed to be adamant on reaching them. Retreating was utterly out of the question now the Lancelot is approaching their rear. "All forces, it is clear the battle is lost! However, we are not cowards who will surrender! We are the Sword of Akasha! Fight to your last breath!" Ricardo cried out, his eyes rolling madly from sheer zeal. He led the charge against the Gareths, who also landed in the forest. The thunderous noises of explosions and gunfire resumed once more.

* * *

Shirley stared at the Lancelot Conquista, which was shown advancing rapidly into the combat zone on the large screen in the middle of the command centre. While she had severely limited knowledge of military equipment, she was sure that it was a unique model. The only issue was whether it was friend or foe. "Um, something's incoming," she pointed out meekly, pointing at the white and gold Knightmare Frame. "What's that."

"We're not entirely sure, but our systems identify it as the Lancelot Conquista, an eighth generation Knightmare Frame prototype designed by the ASEEC," Lelouch frowned. "We didn't send out any request for reinforcements. It's highly likely it's an enemy. Darlton!"

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"There's another Knightmare approaching the battle. We cannot confirm whether it's a friendly yet. Be prepared to engage if it makes any hostile moves."

"Roger-"

"Your Highness!" Another operator yelled at the top of his lungs to catch Lelouch's attention. The prince immediately turned towards him, an eyebrow raised quizzically. "There's an incoming transmission from the Lancelot!"

"Patch him through," Lelouch saw no reason to do otherwise. The Vincent Wards were teetering on the brink of defeat at this point in time. The only possible problem was the Lancelot, and he would do anything possible to learn more about it and its pilot.

"This is Staff Sergeant Kururugi Suzaku! I would like to speak to Eleventh Prince Lelouch vi Britannia," Suzaku's visage appeared on one of the screens.

"Suzaku?" Shirley and Lelouch asked incredulously in unison. While they knew that he was in the military, they did not expect him to be in Pendragon for they were under the impression that their ex-classmate and friend was in Area 11. Suzaku's face broke into a smile of relief once he recognized his friends and saw that neither of them was injured in the least.

"Yes, it's me. It's a long story, but I'm here to help," the honorary Britannian observed the ongoing battle calmly. "Mind telling me which ones are the enemies?"

"The Vincent Wards. The light-purple Knightmares," Lelouch supplied, quickly getting over his surprise. "Try to keep one of them alive. I could use a prison for questioning." The prince switched the communication channel. "Darlton! The Lancelot Conquista is not a hostile. He is a confirmed ally. Work with him to capture a prisoner."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Seriously, these guys are terrible," Lelouch chuckled darkly as he witnessed the Sword of Akasha machines getting pummelled relentlessly. Suzaku was performing astoundingly well. He wove in and out of the Vincent Wards, using his Slash Harkens and Maser Vibration Swords with stunning agility and skill. The Sword of Akasha machines tried to distance themselves away from him, but the Lancelot's higher specs and speed disallowed them from doing so easily. The Vincent Wards, already small in number, fell before the might of the superior machine. The honorary Britannian hacked and slashed at his foes, lopping off the limbs of the Knightmares or crushing their heads and camera sensors. They might as well be crops before a scythe. Shirley smiled weakly at Lelouch's amusement, then she turned to resume watching the battle rage on with a sorrowful expression on her face. Lives were being lost before her eyes, and the cause of it was nothing but misguided beliefs of the purity of noble blood.

* * *

Rolo sprinted as fast as he could, trying to keep an eye out for any indication of a bunker or another person. When the fighting broke out, the alarms sounded and the non-combatants were told to move to the bunker. Unfortunately for Rolo, he had no idea where it was. He might have known previously, but he could no longer remember it due to his amnesia. The brown haired youth attempted to look for someone to direct him there, but the villa was deserted.

Rolo peered out of the window cautiously. Perhaps he should just stay where he is. The fighting, while harsh, was still quite a distance away from the villa itself. Furthermore, their opponents were getting demolished. With that thought in mind, Rolo relaxed, tension leaving his body. Moving into the bunker was merely a safety precaution. There was no way he was going to get attacked here-

Out of a sudden, Rolo's instincts screamed at him to roll forward, and he did, narrowly evading a knife that would have buried itself between his shoulder blades.

Viscount Henry Magnus cursed under his breath as he watched his target roll away. The noble was refraining from using his gun as it could alert the security forces to his position, and he did not possess a silencer. Fortunately for him, his target seemed to be just a servant, and Henry charged forward, brandishing his blade.

Rolo froze as he watched the knife inch its way to its position in slow motion when his instincts kicked in again, He darted swiftly to the left, evading the blow which may have disembowelled him, and retaliated with a hard punch to the other man's ribs. The soldier was sent sprawling, colliding with the stone wall with a crunch, and Rolo took advantage of the former's disorientation by following his attack with a knee to the groin. The noble's eyes bulged with agony and fought the urge to scream. Rolo hesitated for a brief moment, noting the other man's obvious suffering. His body insisted on quickly eliminating his foe, but his mind was disturbed by the amount of pain he was dishing out.

Henry saw the pause as an opening, and he did not stop to capitalize on such an opportunity, lunging forward with his dagger aimed at the younger man's eye. Rolo barely sidestepped the sudden move, and the noble was sent crashing into the marble tiled floor in an undignified fashion. The former found himself rushing forward and attempted to kick his foe in the head to daze him. He underestimated his adversary slightly, for Henry rolled sideways and was back on his feet. The Sword of Akasha soldier snarled and made a beeline for Rolo again, slashing wildly with his blade. Rolo dodged each blow effortlessly, and waited for Henry to slash again when he once more moved to the left side and brought his clenched right fist up in an uppercut, the blow hard enough to lift the noble off his feet and slamming headfirst on the floor, dazed.

Rolo saw his advantage and took it, striking Henry's right wrist repeatedly until he loosened his grip on the knife. He kicked the blade away and the bigger male shoved angrily at Rolo, sending him stumbling. The noble spun around to locate his dagger and leapt forward, his hand closing triumphantly on its hilt. He just turned back to face Rolo when the latter pounced, elbowing the noble's left cheek viciously. Henry made to knee Rolo in the groin as payback, but the assassin anticipated the move, savagely kicking his kneecap, dislocating the joint. The Viscount howled in excruciating agony, and Rolo silenced him with a brutal chop to his throat, crushing the windpipe utterly. Henry dropped to the floor again, gurgling in his last moments of life before he finally lay still.

Rolo stared in disbelief at his own hands and the corpse he had just made of the soldier. Throughout the entire fight, it felt like his body moved of his own accord and somehow he managed to kill his opponent. "How on earth did I manage to do all that?! I'm just a servant…" The pink-eyed male stumbled backwards, eyeing the cadaver in shock. Without a second thought, he turned on his heel and fled the scene, leaving the body behind.

* * *

"All this, just because they despise commoners?" Shirley asked quietly, examining the ruins of the destroyed Knightmares and the burning forest. Lelouch squeezed her hand and said nothing, the amethyst-eyed prince on the lookout for anything which may seem suspicious. His forces just confirmed the utter extermination of the enemy troops, and the couple was now walking through the once grand woodland. "Not exactly a romantic walk," she thought wryly, her mind wandering a few days back when she expressed her wish to explore the woods surrounding the villa. Lelouch was hesitant as always to let her go outside, and she let the matter slide, albeit slightly sullenly.

The harsh skidding sound of a Knightmare advancing halted their tracks as the Lancelot made itself visible. Suzaku hastily disembarked from his machine and briskly walked towards his friends, having made out the form of Lelouch from a distance moments ago. "I was worried sick when I heard you guys were under attack, but seems like you guys were handling it fine," Suzaku grinned sheepishly at Lelouch and Shirley. "This reminds me of the time when you guys were the NHK Tokyo hall."

"Mind informing me beforehand if you're planning to help?" Lelouch could not resist in engaging his childhood friend in friendly banter. "I nearly made my forces open fire on you." Suzaku mimed being hurt, clutching his heart in an exaggerated fashion. The three of them shared a chuckle, which quickly died down.

"It feels... Wrong to laugh," Suzaku observed their smoking and burning surroundings. "Especially after a terrorist attack."

"They were a bunch of idiots anyway. Their commander was foolish. His grasp on tactics was non-existent," Lelouch snorted haughtily. Shirley laughed, shaking her head slightly at Lelouch's arrogance. It was almost a defining trait for him, and she was glad to see that he was still himself after the strain of past events. "Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you're in Clovis's army?"

"I was transferred to Cornelia's army recently… but I can't find her or any of her top officers at her base," Suzaku replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "I met Princess Euphemia instead, who dispatched me here after hearing that you were under attack."

"That's because Cornelia's in Area Eleven now," Lelouch thought but did not say. "Euphie did that? I'm… touched." He remarked.

"She was quite worried too, you know. You should let her know that you're fine now," Suzaku insisted.

"What's this, Suzaku? You just met her and you're speaking for her now?" Lelouch grinned, not resisting the urge to poke fun at his childhood friend.

Suzaku fought to keep his face from turning red. "I, uh, just thought it would be good since she's your sister and all." He recalled how anxious Euphemia was when news of Aries Villa being under attack reached them.

The smile slipped off Lelouch's face. "Among my siblings, I can only afford to trust her and Cornelia now," Lelouch said seriously. "The Sword of Akasha is back, and if you recall, they have members in both royalty and nobility."

"Seriously?" the honorary Britannian's dark green eyes widened. Suzaku had heard about the terrorist organization from Lelouch when he discussed the idea of returning to Britannia many months ago. He peered over Lelouch's shoulder at Shirley, who gave him a half-hearted wave. "I'm glad to see you two are fine so far."

"We have many security measures in place," Lelouch said softly. "However, there was a previous attempt on our lives," the prince exchanged looks with Shirley, the latter nodding weakly as Suzaku stared at them. "Speaking of them, have you found any survivors?"

"We spare a couple of them, but they were already dead in their cockpits with a gun in their hands, and a bullet through their heads," Suzaku reported. "They must have committed suicide when their Knightmares were disabled." Shirley's eyes widened. She was appalled. She could not comprehend that there were people who were more than willing to let their misplaced hatreds control them to the point that they would throw their lives away for it. In an odd way, these terrorists deserve some pity. However, despite her soft-hearted nature, it was difficult for her to sympathize with them, as they were continuously not only hunting after her, but her love as well.

"Damn them," Lelouch muttered. Unlike Shirley, he showed no sign of surprise at their decision to shoot themselves rather than to turn themselves in. "We might have won, but we're not any closer to solving what's going on. I can't believe these people successfully defeated Odysseus. Even he should be able to hold out until reinforcements arrived."

Suzaku studied his two friends for an extended amount of time. Lelouch appeared frustrated while there was something about Shirley seemed rather withdrawn and introspective - nothing like the friendly girl full of cheer in Ashford Academy. Being targeted by fanatics must have been more than difficult on them. "You two must have gone through so muc-" Suzaku was interrupted by the sound of a cell phone ringing. Shirley recognized the ringtone as her own and she reached into the pockets of her shorts, bringing out the electronic device. "Hello?"

"Shirley!" Shirley nearly dropped her phone as the recognizable voice of her mother, Mary Fenette, all but screamed. "Why didn't you tell us that Lelouch was a prince?!"

"Hi, mom," Shirley winced, holding the electronic device a couple of inches from her ear. "I didn't actually know about it before - wait, how did you know?"

"The news, Shirley," Mary sighed with exasperation. "We would have known earlier if we weren't occupied by our trip to Pendragon!" There was a brief pause. "Why didn't you tell us, Shirley?"

"I told you, mom, I didn't know either until he brought me to the imperial palace."

"He what?! How could he just do that?!"

"Calm down, mom!" Shirley exclaimed insistently. Her raised voice earned her multiple curious looks from not only Suzaku and Lelouch but the guards accompanying them as well. "I'm not upset. And it's alright, we're fine now. Nothing to worry about." It was not quite truthful of her, but she wanted her mother to cool down. As though fate was working against her, a burning tree fell down with a resounding thud on the floor and she gulped.

"What was that nois-?" Mary asked suspiciously.

"It was nothing!" Shirley said quickly, not wanting her parents to know what had happened over the past hour. At least not right now, as it will do nothing but make them anxious. "Anyway, mom… so you've just landed in Pendragon?" The lithe girl cleared her throat awkwardly, attempting to change the topic.

"Yes... Just like I've mentioned earlier. And the first thing we learnt when we stepped into the airport was that the eleventh prince of Britannia has returned. And his name was Lelouch. And he looked exactly like the man you're dating."

"I'm sorry, mom, but there was really no opportunity for me to tell you about it sooner," Shirley groaned, one hand reaching up to scratch her head. She understood why her mother was so upset, but she wished that Mary would stop harping on it."

There was a slight pause before there was an audible shifting sound. "Hello, Shirley. This is your father here. Maybe in time, we can accept the fact that you're actually dating royalty, but we're worried sick about the repercussions of doing so."

"Dad, I know of the consequences. Believe me, I r-really do," Shirley spoke softly, her voice trembling. For a split-second, the bottled up stress and emotions caused by the past few weeks rushed to the surface, nearly causing her to tear up. However, she managed to control it at the last moment. "Lulu has been doing an admirable job of keeping us safe so far. I have complete faith in him."

"I'm afraid that we can't just simply have confidence in someone to keep you safe, prince or not, Shirley," Joseph replied apologetically. "We've discussed this before, and I believe right now is a good time for us to finally meet Lelouch."

"You want to meet with Lulu?" Shirley muttered. Lelouch and Suzaku were watching her with bemused looks on her face.

"Yes. Perhaps over a meal or something. We would want to meet the man who's dating our daughter, regardless of his status," Joseph answered promptly. "And to give you two our blessings, if possible."

"Oh. So you'd like to meet Lulu over dinner, right?" Shirley asked loudly, glancing at Lelouch hopefully. The prince gave her a puzzled look. "As to when will be a good time…?" Lelouch finally caught the hint, and observed the still blazing greenery around them before holding up three fingers and mouthing the word 'days' to her. "In three days' time! Will that be okay, dad? Dinner in three days' time with me and Lulu."

"Of course, my dear. Where would we meet?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll message you the details later. Is that okay, dad?"

"Sure. See you, Shirley."

"Bye, Dad," Shirley whispered. She cast a melancholic look at the flaming devastation and metal wreckage around her. Would there by any chance of them approving her relationship with Lelouch if they saw this? "I'll be looking forward to seeing you again."

* * *

Author's Note: Finally... Done with this chapter. The battle is more or less created to do two things: Show how insane/cruel the SoA can get, and to set up the next chapter by add more weight. Oh well, at least I'm more or less past the mid-point now. I can start rolling the bigger balls of drama soon.*starts waving hands like a deranged lunatic*

In case anyone's wondering about the weird numbers-letter things that Schneizel assigns to his subordinates (Two-P-Twenty One/2P21)... Well, there are three squadrons. The first number represents which squadron they belong in, and the second one is their designated number. The letter 'P' stands for Pawn, which is the lowest in chess. 'B' stands for Bishop, and it represents the squadron leader. Plus I didn't feel like using R (Rook) and K (Knight).

Anyway, I have to confess that I was trying to do some experimental stuff here with the Knightmare combat. I'm fairly comfortable with writing action and fighting in general, but mecha combat, especially when nearly everyone is piloting grunt units, is another different thing. Since I may be incorporating more mecha fights in my future stories, I wanted to see whether it looks good. Apologies if it looked really out of place. There would only be one more mecha fight scene in this story at most.

If there's anyone put off by the length of this chapter, sorry about that. I initially wanted to split this into two parts but I decided not to - because I couldn't find a satisfactory ending for the first half. And don't fret, the word length of the next few chapters won't exceed 10k words.

Putting the Knightmare fighting aside, there are a few 'softer' moments scattered throughout this chapter, and there's one which I'm extremely curious what you guys think. Rolo's birthday gift and its sender. And speaking of Rolo…

Perhaps I'm overthinking, but I **realize** that I may get some flak for trying to get Rolo to form a bond with Shirley. So I'm going to explain my thoughts about that matter. Yes, I admit it's more or less the epitome of irony as he murdered her in canon. However, I think that, considering the circumstances in this story, it's not only normal for him to do so, it's also in character. We see him become utterly obsessed with Lelouch in canon because the latter treated him nicely while brainwashed. As to why I didn't make him do the same to Lelouch in this fic? Because Shirley has a kinder nature and is already sympathetic towards him, and hence it's easier for Rolo to get attached to her than our favourite eleventh prince. Plus Lelouch isn't brainwashed to think Rolo's his little brother either. Oh, Lelouch would treat Rolo well enough as an acquaintance and maybe even a friend, but that's about it. Hence… Shirley's a much better choice imo.

Oh, and props to **Shadow At Midnight** for giving me the idea of the birthday cake. Thanks for that! It, combined with the locket, creates a far stronger moment than just the locket, which was what I only had in mind.

 **One last thing, but perhaps the most important one:** Shirley's birthday is coming up soon in this story, and I wish to do another really nice event with Shirley/Lelouch interacting with each other before I write the draft of the chapter when things get pretty serious. I'd like to come up with a plan... but unfortunately, I'm rather low on ideas at the moment, partly because I'm saving some for later. Thus, I would like to ask whether any of you guys got any suggestions? Or anything you guys would like to see? **Bear these in mind** , though, a dance has already taken place (twice, in fact). I could do it again if you guys don't mind, but I prefer to have something else. Secondly, it's rather limited because it has to take place indoors, or in the surrounding areas of the house at most. I picture the villa being mostly surrounded by wood, with a small beach and lake area. So, yea... I'd love to hear any proposals from you guys.


	16. Strife and Remembrance

Author's Note: Hello, readers. I hope the last chapter wasn't too long for you guys. 13,000 words can be quite a handful. Anyway, we finally have Shirley's parents meeting Lelouch in this chapter. Hooray...? Other than that we still have a couple of really core moments... one of which has something to do with the amnesiac Rolo and his master, Schneizel.

I'll be taking some time to reply to some guest reviews here. And plus it'll be good to clarify some things.

 **f. s:** Thanks for the compliment! Happy to hear that you thought the fight was done well. On whether Lelouch and Schneizel will eventually engage in a battle, I can't promise that as of now, sadly. An opera's an interesting idea. Hmm. I suppose they have to get the entire symphonic orchestra to visit the villa though. Since they can't venture outside... I'll consider it.

 **king:** Thank you for your compliments. And about Suzaku x Euphemia... don't worry, I'm not going to go that direction. At most it's just little bits of set-up and interactions between them so that they can become friends... the chance of them being a couple by the end of this story is near zero. They're mainly in the story because they have a part to play in the last moments. Just wanted to reintroduce them at this point of time in case anyone has forgotten about them. Big battles... nah, there wouldn't be any more large-scale battling, as least for quite some time. I'm going to focus on the dramatic bits for now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass. I'd be shocked if I did.

* * *

 **Chapter 16  
Strife and Remembrance**

Schneizel scrutinized the screen of his computer, calculating the losses he had incurred when Ricardo went rogue. While his expression was impassive as always, which was mastered through his years of dealing with politics, he was feeling exasperated. "Fully thirty percent of our Knightmare forces were lost. None of them were able to inflict any damage on the villa," the blonde prince exhaled heavily. If Grand Duke Ricardo was still alive, Schneizel doubted that he could resist the urge to strangle him in sheer anger and frustration at the noble's foolishness. "At least none of them were captured alive. So there's no chance of them blabbing to Lelouch."

"With all due respect, sir, perhaps you should not have left them after Valac Palace's siege, no matter how briefly," Kanon replied. Earl Kanon Maldini was his confidante and trusted second in command. He was completely loyal to the second prince of Britannia. Both of them were once again in the Sword of Akasha's base, the older male seated in front of his electronic device while the other stood next to him.

"I shouldn't have, but I was heading towards their command center to wipe out all surveillance footage," Schneizel said defensively. "Maybe I should have sent someone else. However, there's no point in having any regrets now." He shifted in his seat to regard Kanon. "Any news from Agent Haliburton? We need to know whether the key is in the villa or not as soon as possible before we decide on our next course of action."

"Rolo hasn't sent us any reports since his mission commenced five weeks ago," the noble informed his liege. "That's strange of him. Normally he would tell us something once every two weeks at most."

"It's his first time on such a long term mission. He might be occupied with something…" Schneizel mused. Nonetheless, it was fairly unsettling to the royal. Kanon was right - it was unusual of Rolo to be silent for an extended period of time. It had already been three weeks since his first report, in which he stated that he had been accepted as a servant into the Aries Villa. "Well, there's no harm trying to contact him anyway. We need to hear something from him by now."

"Wouldn't it be risky, Your Highness? What if someone overhears our conversation?"

"Don't worry, Kanon. I know what methods to employ in such a situation."

"If you say so, Your Highness," Kanon nodded. "Just a question of curiosity, what is our plan if the key isn't in the villa?"

"Then there's no reason for the Sword of Akasha to hold back against them," Schneizel sighed. He thought of his chess matches with Lelouch many years ago. While he had never lost against the eleventh prince, every game was a close one and he was impressed with his much younger brother's skills. "Since a decade ago, I had a hunch that Lelouch might become a threat and a formidable opponent, even if we deploy the Damocles. Ricardo might be an overly pompous idiot, he should have been able to inflict some damage on the villa. Instead, Lelouch managed to keep him out entirely through strategical planning, which only reinforces my impression of him. Therefore, if the key isn't there... Rolo will kill them both."

* * *

Lelouch hated Volleyball. He detested sports in general, as he viewed most of them as dull, uninteresting and not intellectually challenging. Coupled with his poor physical aptitude, the prince found it easy to develop an abhorrence for sports. Unfortunately for him, he was more or less obliged to participate in a game of beach volleyball.

A few hours after Ricardo's failed assault, Euphemia arrived at the Aries Villa, all but frantically looking for Lelouch. The pink-haired princess looked as though the weight of the world was lifted off her shoulders when she spotted her half-brother unharmed. After a somewhat emotional reunion, a teary-eyed Euphemia expressed her desire to stay at the Aries Villa for a couple of days, perhaps trying to experience the old, happy days she spent in the villa as part of her childhood.

Lelouch considered dissuading Euphemia from such, but the eleventh prince recognized the look in her eyes. In the light of the Sword of Akasha's recent attacks, she was fearful that on the next day when she woke up, she would not be able to see him anymore. Frightened that she would not be able to spend enough time with her beloved half-brother. Terrified that every day might be his last. Furthermore, Shirley persuaded him to relent after sensing his hesitation, and he supposed that they could use more social interaction. Thus, Lelouch yielded, much to Euphemia's delight. Suzaku opted to stay for a while as well, although Shirley had a sneaking suspicion that Euphemia has some influence, minor of otherwise, over her friend and ex- classmate's choice.

On the last day of Euphemia's short stay, they somehow came up with the suggestion of playing volleyball by the beach. Aries Villa was almost totally surrounded by wood, but there were a lake and a beach on the southwestern side of the house. Shirley was understandably enthusiastic about the idea – she has always been athletic after all, and both Suzaku and Euphemia welcomed it as well. That only left Lelouch behind, and while he loathed physical recreational activities, the prince grudgingly accepted it for Shirley's and Euphemia's sake. What baffled him was that she invited Rolo along as well. He assumed that it was because the young servant was her friend. The amethyst-eyed adolescent could not get a good read on Rolo, and settled for being wary of him after witnessing his rather strange behavior when they celebrated his birthday a few days ago.

"Seven serving one!" Shirley's cheery voice called out energetically, jarring Lelouch from his thoughts. The prince barely registered a ball speeding straight towards him and made a half-hearted attempt to move forward, only to nonchalantly step aside once he spotted Rolo lunging forward to intercept it. The younger male sent the ball back to the opposite side of the net. Euphemia attempted to return it, but was too slow and hence Lelouch's team managed to score for the second time.

As there was an odd number of players, they agreed that one of them should take a break while the others played two versus two. Currently, Shirley and Euphemia were playing against Rolo and Lelouch, and Suzaku rested under the shade of a nearby tree, watching them. The males were dressed in beach shorts and Shirley was in her Ashford Academy swimsuit, while Euphemia was clad in a white one-piece swimsuit. Lelouch tried to hide his despair at the idea of playing a sport against Shirley. She always eclipsed him in physical activities with ease, and Lelouch wondered if this was how his opponents always felt when playing against him in chess.

"Come on, Rolo, let Lelouch return the ball," Shirley pouted, slightly irked by how passive Lelouch was. She supposed that she couldn't blame him, though, since he constantly performed poorly whenever he tried to participate.

"Umm… but whenever I try to do that, he'll end up letting the ball through. That has happened four times already," Rolo slowly replied. Although they were losing by a significant margin, Rolo was surprised at his ability to keep up. He had no idea that his physical capabilities were that superior to Lelouch. And there was that moment a few days when his body reacted instinctively and he somehow ended up killing the terrorist that snuck into the Aries Villa. Rolo did not say a word about it, and the others, while quite baffled when they encountered the cadaver, were willing to let that slide. The intruder was most definitely an enemy after all. Rolo shot Lelouch a nervous glance after realizing that he might have provoked the prince. "No offense, Your Highness."

"None taken," Lelouch muttered curtly. He was painfully aware that sports are not his forte since years ago. Sweat gleamed on his arms and chest, whatever little exercise he went through already made him near his limit. He tried to dismiss his weariness and flexed his limbs to better prepare himself for more physical activity as an attempt to entertain Shirley and Euphemia. He reminded himself they were quite excited about the game, and that Shirley was secretly worried about her parents' arrival later in the day.

Shirley flashed Lelouch an appreciative smile. "Seven serving two," she called out, pushing the blue-striped ball over the net. Lelouch grimaced and lurched forward, smacking the ball back in a lazy arc, almost stumbling face first into the sand. Euphemia returned it easily and Rolo responded, sending the ball flying high into the air. The young servant squinted at the round object sailing past the net and was momentarily blinded as he inadvertently exposed his pinkish eyes to the harsh rays of the sun. Thus, he was unable to witness Shirley eagerly leaping up and slamming the ball, spiking it with incredible force without aiming carefully. The volleyball rapidly soared to the other side and smashed Rolo straight in his right eye with tremendous force. His world exploded with pain as he fell backwards onto the golden sand.

Shirley clapped her hands to her mouth in alarm as she watched Rolo toppling over. Lelouch hastened over to him while the younger male clutched at his eye in pain. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, Rolo, I'm so sorry!" Shirley cried out. She chided herself as she hurried over to join Lelouch's side - she had injured the young servant twice already in a space of two weeks, for crying out loud. The slender adolescent peered at Rolo, trying to get a glimpse of the injury she inflicted. "Are you alright?"

"I-I think so," Rolo flinched as Shirley gently pried his hand away from his eye. She felt her sense of guilt skyrocketing. The wound was far from life-threatening nor very severe, but it still looked incredibly unpleasant. An ugly dark purple bruise with minor bleeding formed around the area. "Is it bad?"

"It looks awful," Shirley exhaled. "Lulu, would you please fetch the first aid kit?" Lelouch nodded and was about to head back into the house when Jeremiah suddenly appeared and trotted over, a first aid box in hand.

"I saw what happened just now, and we were keeping guard in the vicinity," Jeremiah informed them, pressing the first aid kit into Shirley's hands. "I would advise arnica ointment for such bruising."

"Thanks, Jeremiah," Shirley beamed at him. The Margrave bowed politely and dutifully retreated, returning to his post as a guard. The orange-haired adolescent then knelt before Rolo, who was still lying in the sand. "Now hold still for a while." She instructed, reaching into the first aid box.

Rolo realized what Shirley was trying to do, and he made an effort to squirm away. "Wait, I can do it myself-"

"Oh no, let me," Shirley insisted stubbornly. She then added in a gentler voice. "It's the least I can do since I'm the one who caused it. I'll feel bad if you don't allow me to tend to your wound."

"Um, if you say so then…" Rolo quieted down. The slender girl grabbed a tube of ointment before prying it open and squeezing its contents on a cotton swab. Shirley flashed Rolo a reassuring smile, which seemingly caused his heart to stop, and she started gently dabbing the swab on his bruise.

Lelouch wordlessly strode towards Suzaku, who was still sitting under the shade of a tree, and Euphemia followed him. He did not want to admit it, but he was feeling envious that Shirley was paying attention to another male around their age. The raven-haired teenager cursed his own emotions, although he acknowledged them as a natural reaction, and sat beside Suzaku. Euphemia joined them shortly after.

"That looked painful," Suzaku commented, gazing at Shirley fussing over Rolo's injury.

"Sure did," Lelouch replied shortly. He glanced at Rolo and fought not to feel resentful at the amount of attention Shirley was showing him. The prince then wondered since when he started to be so petty since she did have a good reason for doing so.

"You're not envious, are you, Lulu?" Euphemia teased, her eyes lit up in amusement. She had already taken to using Shirley's nickname for her older half-brother.

"Well, maybe a little," Lelouch debated lying, then decided to be semi-truthful instead. Suzaku coughed loudly, and Lelouch glared at his childhood friend. "Anyway, so what are your plans now after this?"

Lelouch's question sobered his other two companions, banishing the cheery atmosphere that was present previously. "Well… while I'm under the military, I would like to request them to allow me to be part of your guard," Suzaku said seriously, sitting up.

"That's a great idea, and I approve of it!" Euphemia clapped exuberantly. She heard of how easily the honorary Britannian decimated his foes in the battle, and surely he would be a great asset to her beleaguered half-brother.

"I don't," Lelouch interjected. Both Euphemia and Suzaku stared disbelievingly at him.

"But why?" Euphemia protested. "I think it's a great idea!"

"Euphie," Lelouch closed his eyes briefly. "I want Suzaku to guard you instead."

"Huh? Me? I'm not in any sort of danger-"

"You could be. The Sword of Akasha might strike at anyone close to me. Either to use them against me or just to spite me," Lelouch explained patiently. Euphemia was speechless. She had never thought about that possibility. "Shirley and I already have Margrave Gottwald, General Darlton and his knights. Nunnally has Cornelia and her troops. You need a trustworthy guard as well, and I can't think of anyone else other than Suzaku." He watched his half-sister for any reaction when he brought up Nunnally, and she showed no surprise. Lelouch assumed that Cornelia would inform Euphemia about his little sister once he told her about it. Nonetheless, the prince was not unhappy about it.

"Lelouch…" Euphemia appeared to be lost for words. "Thanks for thinking about my safety."

"Who do you think I am, Euphie?" Lelouch snorted. "I'm your brother after all."

"What do you plan to do about the Sword of Akasha then, Lelouch?" Suzaku interjected. "You can't just keep defending against them."

"I know," Lelouch replied curtly. "However, we need some sort of clue to either their location or get one of their members to talk. Frustratingly, we have yet to get something like that. I'd love to go on the offense…" His amethyst eyes burned with fervor and rage, causing Euphemia to lean back. "Unfortunately, we have to be defensive until such an opportunity arises. So what do you say, you two? Would you protect Euphie for me, Suzaku?"

"Well..." Suzaku glanced at Euphemia. "Since you said that she needs protection and that you already have enough security, I'll accept that." The pink-haired princess nodded slowly in acceptance. While she might know Suzaku very well, Lelouch completely trusted him, and that was more than good enough for her.

"Thanks, Suzaku," Lelouch said, relieved that his childhood friend did not object to his plan.

Before anyone could reply to Lelouch, Jeremiah unexpectedly returned again. "Pardon this interruption, Your Highness," he addressed Lelouch formally. "But you wished to be informed when Mr. and Mrs. Fenette would be arriving in an hour's time."

"Yes, I did say that," Lelouch gave the noble a polite smile. "Thank you very much, Margrave Gottwald."

"It's my pleasure," Jeremiah saluted briefly before marching away.

Lelouch turned to regard Suzaku and Euphemia. "Well, I guess this is goodbye then," he said. They were aware of the appointment he had with Shirley and her parents and they informed him that they would leave before it happened. He might not have shown it, but he did enjoy the company they provided during their brief stay.

"We'll see you again, Lelouch," Suzaku promised. He stood up and Euphemia quickly followed suit.

"I most certainly hope so," the eleventh prince of Britannia returned. Without any more delays, he swept away to inform Shirley of her parents' impending arrival.

* * *

Rolo observed Shirley quietly as she slowly applied the salve around his eye. She bit her tongue in concentration, careful not to accidentally touch his eyeball. While she doubted that would actually happen, she knew that she had a reputation for being clumsy. Rolo winced visibly when the wound tinged suddenly and Shirley withdrew slightly. "Does it hurt?" She asked him kindly.

"Not really," Rolo replied softly. Shirley nodded before resuming her work, intent on alleviating the pain she had caused.

"And… done," Shirley announced. She gave Rolo another heartening smile, and a warm sensation started to spread through his body as he continued studying her. Such a feeling was quite unfamiliar to him, but it felt exceedingly pleasant, and thus he readily welcomed it. "Feeling better?"

"Much," Rolo answered honestly. He paused for a second as he felt heat creep into his face. "Thank you."

Lelouch chose that moment to clear his throat abruptly, stepping forward and grabbing Shirley by the arm, pulling her aside. Rolo frowned as an unexplainable surge of annoyance flowed through his body. "I'm sorry Shirley, but we have to leave now. Your parents are arriving in an hour, and we need to get prepared, right?"

"Oh, sure, Lulu," Shirley answered, somewhat disquieted by how brusque Lelouch was. Her lithe hand slid into his. She had a sneaking suspicion as to what caused it, but she decided not to bring it up until they were out of earshot from the others. The pair crossed the tiny beach before entering the villa. "Tell me… were you envious?" Shirley asked cautiously.

"What?" Lelouch blinked, caught off-guard by the straightforward question. He then huffed loudly. "No, I'm not. Why would I be?"

"Because I gave a lot of attention to Rolo just now," Shirley responded. She saw no point in trying to be vague. Lelouch merely kept his silence. "Come on."

"Fine, I did feel a little envious," Lelouch admitted. " But it's irrational... you did hit him accidentally and therefore my responsibility to tend to him."

"Emotions are never logical in the first place."

"I hate things that don't make sense," Lelouch complained. Shirley giggled. It was so unusual to hear him grumble about things he could not solve. He cracked a brief smile before lapsing into introspective brooding. "By the way... how should we deal with your parents?" He spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Shirley raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"The attacks, Shirley. From the Sword of Akasha. Are we going to tell them about it? They're not going to like it at all once they know of it, won't they?"

"Oh... well... I was thinking of being truthful with them, then hope for the best. Even if that means they oppose our relationship," Shirley sighed. "Eventually, they might learn of it anyway, just like how they knew of your status. Plus, I really wish to obtain your parents' genuine approval, so there's no point deceiving them."

"If they come to disapprove of us, that means there's going to be strife between you and your parents" Lelouch stated, watching Shirley carefully. He knew that the Fenettes was a small and tight-knit family, and he did not wish to disrupt their harmony.

"Let's hope it won't come to that, but yes... I'm afraid that they may be," Shirley admitted. She scratched the side of her head. "I don't wish to have a conflict with my family, but I can't lie to them either." A resolute expression dawned on her visage. "Even if they disapprove of us being together, I won't leave you."

"I know," Lelouch's features softened and he laid a hand on Shirley's shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. "Just relax for now. It'll be fine."

"You're right," Shirley smiled at Lelouch. She then glanced at the clock and realized that her parents were due to arrive in fifty-five minutes' time. And they were still soaked with sweat from the volleyball game. "We're running out of time! Quick, go take a shower!" she fussed.

"Right," Lelouch hastily moved towards the bathroom. He paused at the entrance and turned around. "Now, we're running out of time, aren't we? Care to join me?" He asked, smirking.

"Wha-?" Shirley blushed furiously. She grabbed a towel, which was lying on the bed, and threw it at Lelouch's face. The prince snickered loudly before disappearing into the bathroom. "Stop joking around, you pervert!"

* * *

"This place is enormous…" Joseph Fenette murmured to himself as he drove his car onwards, following the vehicle in front of him. A grand-looking villa came into view, almost glowing in the setting. Three days ago, he gave his daughter a phone call in the hopes of meeting her boyfriend, who was the eleventh prince of Britannia, over a meal after hearing so much about him from her. For some strange reason, she was unable to fully discuss such a topic at that time and instead sent him a message a few hours later. The message informed him to wait at his house at Pendragon for a light blue sedan to arrive, and to follow the vehicle once he was ready. Joseph was mystified by the strangeness and over-complication of the plan but nonetheless followed it. After all, surely he could trust his own daughter.

"The trees. There's something wrong with them," Mary pointed out cautiously from the shotgun seat. Joseph chanced a glance at the woodland surrounding the road and realized his wife was right. Some of them were fallen or damaged, and more than a few of them bore signs of being blackened by fire. The wedded couple was feeling disquieted by the indications of an assault when he finally spotted a familiar sight. A slim, tall girl, clad in a flowing forest green dress and a cardigan of a lighter shade of the same color, was waving at them eagerly from the villa's front doors. Her distinctive bright orange hair recognizable from half a mile away. Both Joseph and Mary's faces broke into smiles of relief when they spotted their only child, whom they have not seen in weeks.

It felt like forever for Joseph and his wife to finally arrive at the enormous house's doorsteps. They exited from their aging car, and Shirley could not hold herself back any longer the moment she saw them. She broke into a run, all but crashing against her father's rather stocky frame and enveloping him in a tight embrace. Joseph returned it wholeheartedly, laughing as he did so, before backing off to behold his daughter for the first time in months. Any thoughts of their distress over Lelouch's true identity promptly evaporated as the Fenette family reunited for the first time in a couple of months.

"I've missed you, dad," Shirley closed her eyes, relaxing in the comforting arms of her father. She could not help but be reminded of her warm and happy childhood times with her family.

"So do I, my dear," Joseph chuckled and patted her back. It only felt like a short time ago when she was a child, the top of her auburn-tufted head barely reaching his waist. "It's wonderful to see you again."

"You've grown taller, Shirley," Mary remarked, stepping beside her brown-haired husband. Shirley smiled at her before hugging her as well. "And a little stronger too," Shirley's mother chuckled, running her hands over her daughter's hair. "Hmm, your hair seems a bit choppy. Did you have a bad haircut recently?"

A series of images of her ordeal at Mao's hands flashed in Shirley's mind. Her grin disappeared at the thought, but she was unwilling to let it spoil her reunion with her parents. "Yea, it was horrible. The person responsible wasn't exactly a hairdresser. At least it was free," Shirley smiled wanly. "Come on in. Lelouch's waiting for you all."

"The eleventh prince of Britannia and seventeenth heir to the imperial throne, huh," Mary muttered, moving forward to examine the villa wistfully. While it wasn't overly extravagant compared to the imperial palace or the residences of the other royalty, it has a certain grandeur of its own. "He must be extremely rich.

"Of course. He's royalty, but don't worry, I'm not with him for the money," Shirley made an attempt at humor, but it came out feebly. Joseph and Mary shared a dubious look, but they followed Shirley into the house nonetheless.

"We were honestly overwhelmed when we heard the news," Joseph confessed, examining the interior of the luxurious home. It was easily far more magnificent than their modest semi-detached house in Pendragon. Everything was extremely neat and in their top condition. "I look forward to our dialogue with Lelouch over dinner later. It would prove to be quite interesting. Speaking of which, where exactly is the dining room? This place is huge…"

"The dining area's just by the corner," Shirley cheerfully notified them. Despite her jovial demeanor, her body tensed up with nervousness. She was worried about the outcome of her parents' interaction with Lelouch.

"Relax, Shirley," Joseph noticed how rigid his daughter was.

"Huh? Oh right... sorry, dad, I'm just really anxious," Shirley admitted as she took a left turn, leading her parents to a set of mahogany wooden doors. Lelouch was behind these doors, inside the dining room itself. "We're here," Shirley knocked on the doors, allowing him to be prepared for their entrance. "Lulu? Are you ready?"

"Ah, yes, come in," Lelouch replied distractedly. Shirley pushed open the doors, revealing a room with an elaborate crimson carpeted floor and brightly lit by a gold chandelier. Plush chairs with polished wooden armrests were arranged around a rectangular table with an immaculate tablecloth with gold designs on its edges. At the head of the table was Lelouch, who smiled welcomingly at his girlfriend and her parents. "Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Fenette," he rose from his chair to approach them, extending his hand for a handshake. "I'm Lelouch vi Britannia."

"Mary Fenette," Shirley's mother introduced herself with a handshake. Lelouch smiled pleasantly at the short, light-brown haired woman. She, together with Joseph, noted that the prince's warm demeanor and the fact he did not use any of his titles in his introduction. They were pleased by his behavior so far. "I'm delighted to meet you at last."

"So am I."

"Joseph Fenette," Joseph shook Lelouch's hand as well. "I've heard a lot about you from Shirley," He tilted his head at the prince and added. "Before you two returned to Britannia and we heard the news of you being royalty."

"Ah…" Lelouch shifted awkwardly. His toes curled in his leather shoes uncomfortably. "About that… I sincerely apologize for concealing my true identity. I can assure you that I have good reason to do so. It's a long story."

"We have time," Joseph countered, although his attitude remained amiable. Mary's expression darkened considerably but she chose not to say anything.

"Mom, Dad," Shirley blurted out anxiously. Her parents looked quizzically at her. The redhead took a step forward. "Lelouch really has a good reason for not telling me about it."

"And we would hear it with an open mind while seeking to understand his reasons," Joseph said quietly, holding up a hand to stall his daughter. Shirley still looked upset that the meeting sounded as though it would turn into an interrogation. Her father eyed Lelouch steadily. "Tell me, Your Highness, weren't you classmates with Shirley at Ashford Academy?"

"That is correct."

"Pardon me, but why were you there in the first place?"

"It's a long story indeed," Lelouch sighed. He gestured towards the comfortable-looking chairs around the dining table. "Why don't you take a seat first? This is going to take a while…"

* * *

A small smile was plastered on Rolo's face as he made his way to his quarters. Lelouch, and Marianne before him, was generous enough to let each servant to have a room to themselves. It was a small one, but it was far better than bunking in a dormitory. He was quite surprised by his own good mood, as he could not pinpoint what exactly invoked it, or why. The amnesiac assassin only knew that it started after Shirley helped to treat his wound. Perhaps that was the reason. _"Yes, that must have been it. She's such a nice person after all."_

Back in the days when Rolo was living in the orphanage, no one really cared about him, but now he found a kind soul in Shirley. It was a comforting thought. The spy opened the door to his room and flopped limply on his bed, one hand digging out his green cell phone. He examined the purple bruise he had obtained during the volleyball game and found that it didn't smart as much anymore. He supposed that she did a good job in administering aid. His fingers trailed down the electronic device to the chain of his locket, a birthday gift given to him from her a few days go. Rolo did not remember his birthday, but Shirley insisted that he had specified that the twenty-ninth of June as his date of birth on his resume. The youth turned in his bed, his thin fingers turning the locket around to admire the locket from different angles. No one had given him a gift before, let alone a pristine one like this.

Rolo was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. He eyed the electronic device for a second, wondering who would be calling him, then he answered the call. "Hello?" There was nothing but absolute quiet for the first few seconds. "Hello? Who's this?" Rolo repeated.

"Rolo! It's been a long time!" an unfamiliar male voice, full of cheer, all but shouted. Rolo flinched, caught off-guard by deafening volume and almost dropped his phone in startlement. "Why haven't you called? I've been waiting to get a word from you for a long time! I was getting worried!"

"Umm, sorry… who's this?" Rolo shook his head in confusion.

"What? How could you not know me? We've known each other for years!"

"I'm sorry… I was told that I had a car accident not too long ago," Rolo shut his eyes. He wished that the other man could stop yelling so excitedly. "I've lost some of my memories."

There was a short pause. "A car accident. How unfortunate. Well, as to who am I… the possibilities are _endless_ _!_ "

"I'm afraid that I have no idea…" Rolo's voice trailed away. This was beginning to get incredibly peculiar for him, and he considered ending the call.

"…. Rolo, are you alone right now? I can jog your memory a little with some events that we had together, but they're private…"

"Really?" The servant's curiosity was piqued. Could this unknown man truly help restore his memories? _"Well, no harm trying, and he somehow has my number after all…"_ He reasoned with himself. "Yes, I'm alone in my quarters now."

"Very well. Let us begin. My name is Infinity. Your full name is Rolo Haliburton."

"Your name doesn't ring a bell," Rolo admitted. "Wait, how do you know my full name?"

"Then there's still some hope for you," Schneizel replied. "You are a trained assassin and spy. Your codename is Agent Haliburton. You work for me… the leader of the Sword of Akasha."

Rolo felt his entire body go numb and he froze. _"You work for me… the leader of the Sword of Akasha,"_ the words echoed in his mind. He jerked back violently, crashing into one of a wall painfully. His phone nearly dropped from his grasp. "That can't be true!"

"Calm down. It is a long and winding story. Everything will make sense in time," Schneizel said soothingly. "I found you when you were a child, held in a police station several miles east of Pendragon after you killed your adoptive parents. They were a sadistic and cruel bunch, who attempted to kill you in a drunken stupor, and in an act of self-defence, you slew them. I sensed potential in your abilities, so I liberated you from them. And then you joined me, and under my tutelage, you became a professional assassin."

Rolo's eyes widened in shock. "I killed someone? How can that be possible?!" Despite his own words, he remembered how he effortlessly disabled and killed the terrorist who had infiltrated the villa a few days ago. It was certainly extraordinary for a mere servant to do so - but well within an assassin's capabilities. Furthermore, Schneizel's previous reply invoked an unfamiliar series of scenes which briefly flickered in his mind, as he tried hard to recall his past to deny the prince's claims. A blood-soaked couple, staring lifelessly up at him. Wooden cupboards stained with gore. "And why would I work for the Sword of Akasha?!" He could not accept that he was from the same organization which attacked them. _"It doesn't add up at all..."_

"You don't," Schneizel flatly returned. "You work to serve my goals, which are not quite aligned with the Sword of Akasha's, although I am its current leader." The blonde prince gave Rolo some time to digest the information. "Remove the phone from your ear and enable video call mode. I think you'll be able to recognize me."

Rolo took a deep breath as his breathing grew heavier. He could not help but obey the mysterious man's voice, albeit at a ponderous pace. The servant's fingers trembled before they pressed on a button, converting the call to a video one. He gasped as he glimpsed the face of the other man. His features were extraordinarily familiar. The handsome, confident face with sharp features. Short blonde hair and those intense blue eyes. Schneizel tilted his head and gave a small, satisfied smile - as he always did when Rolo gave a successful mission report to him. Rolo realized with a pang that his mind recognized that feature. "You're... you're familiar." His mounting headache took a turn for the worse out of the blue and he clutched his head. "I know you!"

"Of course, you do. Like I said earlier, we've known each other for a long time. Do you remember your current mission, Agent Haliburton?"

"I… don't…"

"Your job is to retrieve the key to the Superfortress Damocles and return it to me. And your secondary objective is to assassinate Lelouch vi Britannia and Shirley Fenette."

"That's impossible!" Rolo almost screamed in denial. He felt that it was wrong that Lelouch, who had done nothing wrong and fought valiantly against the bigotry of the Sword of Akasha, had to be slain. The thought of killing Shirley, who was always kind and nice towards him, sickened him to his core. "I want no part of this!"

"You have no choice. For all of your life, you have served me as my sword. That is your purpose in life... given unto you by me," Schneizel continued smoothly. "Don't you recall your last missions, agent Haliburton? And how effectively you completed them?"

"I don't! Stop calling me that! I am no agent…" Rolo's thumb hovered over the 'end call' button, but something deep within him stopped him from doing so.

"Baron Arundell. He was a very ambitious individual who wanted to be promoted to higher ranks, and thus he took it upon himself to snoop around the other activities of the royals. He believed that the Emperor would overlook that if he managed to discover any of us doing illicit activities. That noble came too close to finding out that I embezzled the funds from the treasury to construct the Damocles, so I sent you to kill him." Schneizel recited dully. "That was three years ago, and your first mission. His downfall was due to his greed. You promised him that you have some news on one of the other royals, and lured him into a chamber before shooting him in the head. It was a brilliantly done assassination."

"I… no… I didn't… I couldn't…" Rolo stammered. He gripped his phone so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

"Sir MacMahon. He was a spy, a private investigator sent by one of my half-siblings, hoping to get something interesting from me," Schneizel continued. It was imperative that Rolo recovered his memories, for his lifelong dream more or less hinged on the teenager. "He was too dangerous to leave alone. That was your second mission, seven months after your first. One day, when he went back home, you broke into his house and stabbed him to death. Coincidentally, his wife and child returned to the scene of you standing over his corpse. You killed them all as well, using that same knife, without any hesitation. Incredibly efficient. You are truly outstanding."

"I… killed them all?" Rolo whispered, his eyes beginning to roll madly in their sockets. A chaotic swirl of fragments which belonged to his past started flashing in his mind. Splatters of blood. A cacophony of high-pitched screams of terror. The ringing of gunshots. Voices begging for their lives. "No… I couldn't be a murderer…" Even as he said it, more pieces of his fractured memory began returning to his mind.

"Oh, I still have many more missions to go. Don't leave. By the end of his conversation… you will be finally returned to your true self. The real you."

* * *

"…and that's how I ended up in Ashford Academy," Lelouch finished dramatically. The older Fenettes eyed him with shock, their plates of food, served to them minutes ago untouched with their glasses of wine. They did not expect his story to be that tragic. "It doesn't really matter now, to be honest. After a series of events, I am reinstated as the eleventh prince."

"Tell me, Lelouch- I can call you Lelouch, right?" Joseph asked warily.

"Of course," the prince nodded.

"You can call him Lulu if you want to," Shirley chimed in to brighten the mood. Lelouch rolled his eyes in mirth.

"We know that you were classmates with Shirley. How did you fall in love with my daughter?" Joseph inquired, his tone absolutely serious.

Shirley exchanged looks with Lelouch. "Dad, how is that importa-"

"We want to know, Shirley," Joseph requested,"If it isn't too much to ask, of course." Mary nodded cautiously, expressing her agreement with her husband.

"Alright. It didn't start off because of any amazing event, or on first sight," Lelouch admitted. "I didn't see much in her at first, but after we spent some time together, either in class or the student council, I grew to appreciate her optimism and bright outlook on life. She was…" the dark-haired prince groped around for the correct words. "Heartening to be around. Shirley never fails to enliven me, and eventually, we got quite close. I came to care for her… and soon enough I came to realize that I fell in love with her."

Joseph looked at his wife, who merely returned it blankly. "I suppose that's good enough."

"By the way, shall we start eating?" Shirley suddenly asked. She disliked how her parents were turning a conversation into an inquisition, as the atmosphere was rather strained. "You two are famished after a long journey here, mom, dad."

"Oh, right. Yes, yes, let's begin eating," Joseph acknowledged. The four of them picked up their utensils and began digging into their plates of food – generous slabs of lamb chops served with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

"So…" Mary put down her fork and knife after a few mouthfuls of food. She shifted in her cushioned seat to regard Lelouch. "May I know what do you do as your hobbies?"

"I play chess actively at a high level, and the piano as well," Lelouch responded. He did not mention gambling as he doubted that Shirley's parents would be pleased to hear that. It was not as though he was addicted to it anyway. He merely enjoyed demolishing the pride of haughty nobles.

"How about your duties as part of the royal family?" Mary inquired again. Her eyes were intently fixed on Lelouch.

"I'm afraid that I've yet to be officially assigned any duties by the emperor," Lelouch answered slowly.

"So… you're not doing anything as of now?" Mary looked surprised.

"Mom!"

"It's alright," Lelouch frowned. His amethyst eyes moved over to Shirley briefly. They agreed that they would be honest with her parents even if they asked awkward questions. "If I must have to say something… then I'd say I'm currently dealing with terrorists."

"Terrorists?" Shirley's mother repeated. "Sounds dangerous."

"Well…" Lelouch's voice trailed away uneasily.

"We should just eat first. We can continue such discussions later," Shirley piped up softly. She did not like the direction which the conversation was taking. If her parents knew that they were already attacked twice, they would most likely freak out.

"Sure," Mary sniffed as she returned her attention to her plate of food. They dined quietly for nearly half an hour before finishing their food, although Joseph and his wife were shooting covert looks at each other. "Lelouch, do you mind if we talk to Shirley privately for about five minutes?"

"I don't mind," the violet-eyed prince immediately said. Despite his words, he had an unpleasant feeling that they were going to talk about him. Nonetheless, he understood their concerns and promptly left, not before giving Shirley a tender glance.

Joseph waited for five seconds after the doors to the dining room were shut. The middle-aged man turned towards his adolescent daughter. "I must admit that while I'm uncertain about him as a prince… I'm impressed with him as a person, Shirley. He was very humble and polite for royalty. And most of all, I can tell that he's serious about you."

"Really?" Shirley asked brightly. Her rather gloomy expression, which persisted throughout most of the dinner, immediately morphed into one full of hope and joy. "Actually, I've only learned that he was a member of the imperial family a few weeks ago. It's still a bit surreal for me."

"Surreal would be an understatement," her father chuckled. "Wait, so does that mean he kept his identity a secret from you even when you two were dating?"

"Well, yes, but I can understand that," Shirley said defensively, folding her arms over her torso. "His sister will be in trouble if word gets out, and he did reveal it nonetheless."

"Shirley," Mary spoke up, taking a few steps towards her daughter. "Are you aware of the implications of being attached to a member of the imperial family?"

"Kind of…" Shirley replied tentatively. She brought her hands together, twisting her wrists slightly in discomfort.

"The children of the Emperor... they are competing with each other to succeed the current one. By staying with Lelouch, you're a potential target too. And he's dealing with terrorists. There's going to be an issue of safety for you."

"Mom, I know. But we're fine so far, and the security here is quite extreme if you ask me."

"What if someone tries to kill you two? God forbid that, of course."

Shirley hesitated. She desired to tell the truth to her parents, but she knew that they would react negatively if they knew it. Nonetheless, the slender swimmer decided not to bottle it up anymore. "Mom… there have already been two attempts on our lives." She closed her eyes as her parents gasped in startlement.

"When?" Joseph demanded urgently.

"The day after I've reached Pendragon," Shirley responded in a small voice. She avoided meeting her parents' concerned eyes. "The second attempt was a few days ago."

"And why didn't you tell us about it?!" Mary asked incredulously. "What happened?"

"I… did not want you guys to worry," Shirley gave her mother a weak smile. "The most recent attempt was a group of Knightmares which tried to attack the villa. As for the one earlier…" She shook her head.

"What's wrong?"

"You wouldn't want to know, but we escaped unscathed."

"Is that supposed to put my mind at ease, Shirley?" Mary questioned, irritation plain on her face. "We're your parents."

Shirley bit her lip as she pondered whether to tell her parents of the warehouse incident with Mao. She then sighed and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "Someone lured me outside and abducted me to bait Lelouch. I nearly fell into a pool of acid."

Shirley's parents made noises of horrified shock. "Are you really alright, my dear?" Joseph asked, grabbing her daughter by the shoulders, examining her for any sign of injury. "That must be a horrible ordeal."

"It was, but we're really fine," Shirley reassured them, trying to gently squirm out of her father's grip. She had a sinking feeling about what they might propose next, and she prayed that neither of them would. "Not a scratch on me."

"Shirley… Look, I know Lelouch is nice and he seems really great," Mary interjected. "However, this is far too perilous for you. I don't want to sound like the bad person here but…" she swallowed heavily. "I think you should leave him."

"Mom…" Shirley knew that such a suggestion was coming, but she still felt crestfallen. "I can't. I won't."

"Why? I know there are perks to being attached to a prince, but is it really worth risking your life for him? There're dozens of other eligible guys out there, and surely you could pick one that won't include such danger," Mary insisted.

"I'm _not_ staying with him because he's a prince," Shirley said firmly. Her mother's words stung her, and a part of her was getting exasperated. However, she kept it in check. A heated exchange would not solve anything. "I do so because I can't live without him. I love him wholeheartedly." Her facial features softened. "Just like how I love you, mom."

"I love you too, Shirley, and you know I only want the best for you," Mary continued quietly, a note of pleading in her voice. "I can't bear to see you get hurt just because of him. Please heed my advice."

"I'm sorry…" Shirley felt her eyes starting to water a little. She hated disappointing her mother, but there was no choice, even though she was dismayed by the necessity of her choice. "I'm so sorry, but I can't do it."

"Yes you can, Shirley-"

"Hold up a moment, Mary," Joseph tersely joined the conversation. "You do truly love Lelouch, don't you?"

"Without a doubt," Shirley instantly answered.

"And nothing we say or do will convince you to leave him?"

"I'm sorry, but yes. I won't leave him no matter what happens." His daughter shook her head, her orange locks swaying vigorously from one side to another. Shirley hesitated for a moment, before adding, "Please understand, dad."

"Is that your final answer?" Joseph stepped in front of his daughter and searched the depths of her peridot green eyes. For a tense period, no one made a move or sound. Then Shirley nodded. Her father's face broke into a kind smile. "Very well. I give you and Lelouch my blessing."

"Joseph! You can't be serious!" Mary gasped.

"Shirley's a grown up now. She can make her own decisions," Joseph turned to face his wife. "And we've just heard from her. She isn't going to leave him regardless of what we say. If we keep this going, we'll end up estranging her from the family."

"Even if those decisions might cost her life?!"

"I believe that the eleventh prince will keep her from harm," Joseph said slowly. "And he's working on the problem, isn't he?"

"I've been taking self-defense classes too," Shirley chirped in. "I can handle myself now, I think."

Mary looked askance as she regarded her daughter. "I've yet to be convinced," she said flatly.

Joseph exhaled. "Shirley, do you mind asking Lelouch to come in? There're a few things I need to ask him." Shirley nodded and darted outside. She could be heard conversing with Lelouch for a fleeting second, then the couple returned to the dining room.

"You asked for me, Mr. Fenette?" Lelouch inquired curiously.

"Indeed, I did," Shirley's father stared impassively at the prince. "Shirley has just informed us that there were two attempts on your lives."

A tense silence filled the air. Lelouch's eyes flickered over to Shirley. "I'm afraid that it's true. A terrorist organization, prejudiced against commoners, is behind them. I've been combating them ever since my return to Britannia."

"I suppose you didn't know about them before you brought my daughter here?"

"I didn't. I apologize for that. It was a mistake on my part," Lelouch admitted. An expression of shame formed on his face momentarily. "If I had known-"

"That's not important anymore," Joseph interrupted. He took several steps towards Lelouch, barely a foot away from him. "From now on, I'll address you not as a prince, but as the person dating my daughter." Lelouch blinked.

"Dad, what are you _doing?_ " Shirley questioned uneasily.

"Can I have your word, Lelouch vi Britannia?" The geologist ignored his daughter momentarily, his gaze boring into Lelouch's amethyst orbs. "Do you swear to defend Shirley from harm, regardless of the cost to yourself?"

Realization dawned on Lelouch as he understood what Joseph wanted. The older man wanted his reassurance and his word that he could entrust Shirley to him. "With my very life, I do."

"Do you promise that you would take care of her in sickness and health?"

"I do."

"And most importantly…" Joseph took a deep breath. "Do you vow to love Shirley unconditionally, no matter what happens?"

Lelouch stared at his girlfriend's father for a few seconds. He was fully aware that Joseph's questions sounded like marriage vows. The prince did not mind - he was certain that, if the chance was presented to him in the future, he would wed her. "Forever and always, yes, I do," Lelouch solemnly replied. Shirley clapped quietly in the corner, tears shining in her eyes. Mary still wore a look of skepticism and uncertainty on her face.

"Very well then," Joseph exhaled and smiled at the dark-haired adolescent. "I shall give you two my blessing."

"Thank you, Mr. Fenette," Lelouch relaxed visibly, returning the smile. Truthfully, he was not sure whether Shirley's parents would approve of him, seventeenth heir to the imperial throne or not, once they knew about the danger she was in. "Words cannot convey how pleased I am to obtain your acceptance." It was the truth - he knew that Shirley's family was small and rather close-knit, and with Joseph's approval, the risk of friction between her parents and herself was reduced significantly, hence his gratitude.

"Mom…?" Shirley asked tentatively, looking keenly at her mother.

Mary pursed her lips and straightened her back, then marched towards Lelouch purposefully. She, like her husband, stared at the prince with almost alarming intensity. "I'm afraid that I cannot approve of this, Your Highness. You may do whatever is in your power to keep my daughter safe, but it is undeniable that she is in peril just by being with you," Mary informed the prince, her tone clipped and brusque. She bowed stiffly and strode out of the room, leaving a resigned Lelouch and disappointed Shirley behind.

"Don't worry too much about it," Joseph said uncomfortably, noting the despondent look on Shirley's face. "I'll go talk to her. Maybe she will be willing to accept this one day." He patted his daughter's head reassuringly.

"Thanks, dad," Shirley smiled gratefully at her father. Lelouch nodded neutrally. "I suppose you'll be taking your leave now?"

"Well, I can't possibly leave your mother behind, can I?" Joseph chuckled. He looked over at Lelouch. "It's my pleasure to meet you at last. I pray that you will keep your word, and I hope to see you two someday again. Farewell." With that, he turned and followed after his wife out of the villa altogether.

* * *

The insurmountable pounding in Rolo's head finally dulled to a throb. The missing holes in his memories were gradually being filled with fragments of his past. He began to remember more of the incidents he was previously involved in. The abuse he had received at the hands of his adoptive parents, who ended up as his first kill. Being set free by Schneizel. Embarking on his assassination missions.

Rolo was still in his room, which was darkened by the lack of illumination. The lights were switched off and the brown curtains were drawn. He grimaced and massaged his temples roughly with one hand while the other was clenched around a fistful of white bedsheet. Although his memories already confirmed it, a part of him still found it difficult to believe that he was an assassin. He slowly raised his head, glancing at his green-coloured phone. The locket swung around carelessly. It has been almost two hours since Schneizel's call started and it has yet to be ended.

"Agent Halliburton?" Schneizel inquired smoothly.

"Reporting," Rolo affirmed, no emotion in his voice.

"Very good," The Prime Minister of Britannia was pleased. He was worried that he may have pushed too far, or worse, Rolo may have been affected during his time as an amnesiac in the villa. "Are you fit to continue operating?"

"Agent Halliburton, ready to resume the mission," Rolo reported. It was time for him to get back in the game.

* * *

Author's Note: I admit that Rolo remembering that he's an assassin and his master is Schneizel seems rather fast paced, seeing that he just lost them a couple of chapters back. However, it's for the sake of the plot, and I rather not create another filler chapter between this one and the last. I'm no expert with memory loss and related stuff, but I don't think he can really remember all of his past life in one go. While he hasn't fully recovered, he already recognizes Infinity/Schneizel as his master and his past as an assassin. Which is enough for him. Whether he would truly continue serving under Schneizel… we shall see, won't we?

I hope no one was too surprised that Shirley's parents had a split opinion. I thought of going against the norm of having both parents eventually agreeing or going against their child's relationship. And Shirley always has been closer to her dad... I've actually hinted on how their meeting with Lelouch would end in chapter seven, where Shirley states that her father always dotes on her, but her mother is rather strict. Ahh, family dramas... they could be kinda cliche, but I can't resist. Apologies.

Anyway, I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter! I've been itching to write the meeting for a long time. This event, together with the Britannian Ball (chapter 11), are the first few bits I've conceived of while planning this fanfic. Let me know what you guys think!


	17. The Key to the Damocles

Author's Note: I have to say that this chapter was definitely unplanned. Unfortunately, this one is more or less a collection of scenes which I had in my mind and I stringed them together to form a chapter. Hence, things are a little all over the place and I added a couple of scenes for the 'lulz'. You'll see what I mean later.

Apologies if it doesn't seem like I'm being very serious... that doesn't mean that this chapter is unimportant, though. There are a few key moments here, and a lot of emphasis on Rolo, seeing that he just recovered his memories. The purpose of this chapter is to set up the chain of events which will begin in the next and to answer some curious questions. There will be a segment with Cornelia and Nunnally. I'll try my best to get Chapter 18 posted as soon as possible as recompense. That's when things hit the boiling point.

* * *

 **Chapter 17**  
 **The Key to the Damocles**

The half-moon bathed the villa with its dim illumination as Joseph started his car, which was resting on the road next to the house. His wife crossed her arms, a petulant frown on her face as she looked away from him while seating in the shotgun seat. The middle-aged man ran a hand through his brown hair. He glanced up at one of the windows of the villa, spotting his daughter in her shared bedroom, who was watching him through the glass solemnly. She had changed out of her dress into an outfit of comfortable navy blue t-shirt and shorts. Joseph raised a hand in farewell, and she returned it, albeit half-heartedly. He stepped on the accelerator and the vehicle made its way out of the villa. Shirley watched it slowly disappear along the road gloomily.

"Something bothering you?" a familiar voice called out behind her, and she jumped. She turned around to face a concerned Lelouch. "You don't look too happy to me."

"You can tell?" Shirley laughed humourlessly. She exhaled, and cast another look at the window. Her father's car was already out of her sight.

"With that dispirited look on your face? Obviously," Lelouch said. He moved towards the bed, sitting on it and patting a spot next to him. "Come take a seat. You can tell me if you want to."

A few seconds of silence ticked by. "It's about what happened just now," Shirley confessed. Instead of sitting on the mattress, she laid down on it, sighing unhappily and brought her hands together, twisting them slightly. "My mother's words, specifically."

" _Just as predicted,"_ Lelouch thought. Mary Fenette did not approve of his relationship with her daughter, and while her words definitely stung somewhat, he knew how exactly she felt and understood it. "I suppose you don't agree with them?"

"Of course not!" Shirley exclaimed hotly. Her vehemence startled Lelouch, who rarely saw her angry. "I just can't believe that she can't accept us together. And the way she did it was mean. She more or less said them in your face."

Lelouch leaned backwards, falling prone on the bed as well. He turned his head so as to face Shirley, and she did the same. "Calm down. I'm not upset by your mother's words. In fact, I understand her concerns. You are her child, and it's a fact that you're in danger."

"I know," Shirley said in a calmer tone, but the prince still could detect displeasure in her tone. "But I expected her to at least wish us well, or not insist on us breaking up. I'm not going to leave you, no matter what happens, Lulu." Lelouch's brows furrowed at her words.

Lelouch reached out to twirl one of her orange locks idly. "Well, think about it from her point of view. When we have children…" Lelouch smirked and stopped playing with her hair to cup her face with his hand. She shoved him half-playfully on his shoulder in return. "I don't think any of us would want them to go through any danger."

"True…" Shirley muttered wearily. She moved in to snuggle closer to Lelouch. "Maybe I can understand why she's so against it, but I still don't like it."

"Fair enough," Lelouch shrugged. "She's your mother after all. You would want to gain her approval." Shirley merely let out another long, drawn-out sigh. The prince adjusted his hand, grasping hers and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Hey, don't think about it too much. Perhaps one day when all of this is over, she'll come to like us together."

"You're right. Thinking negative doesn't help me at all in the slightest," Shirley exhaled before smiling.

Lelouch nodded and his eyes flickered to the clock suspended on the wall. "Alright, it's getting a bit late. Let's sleep now. Goodnight, Shirley."

"Goodnight, Lulu," Shirley murmured. Lelouch rose from the bed, only to return to it after he turned off the lights, blanketing the room with darkness.

* * *

Rolo stalked through the halls of the Aries Villa cautiously, a light brown feather duster gripped tightly in one hand, while the other was in his pocket. After his encounter with Schneizel yesterday, he had finally recalled his true profession. A killer. His master ordered him to resume his mission, and he obeyed dutifully. Currently, he was installing eavesdropping devices all over the house. While he could have done so shortly after he was accepted into the villa, there was a chance that the security cameras could have observed him doing so. Therefore, Rolo took the time to discern the position of these cameras so that he can determine the angle where he could establish the bugs without being seen.

In order to obscure his actions while he went about it, Rolo was using the feather duster to obscure the view while looking as though he was cleaning while placing the contraptions, which adhered easily to almost any surface. The pink-eyed youth was secretly amazed by the technology they exhibited, for the gadgets have a feature which, once activated, they could assume the color of the object they were attached to, flawlessly camouflaging themselves. Its diminutive size also ensured that it was extremely difficult to notice, even for the most paranoid of people. He briefly wondered what other fascinating devices Schneizel's scientists were able to cook up, then shrugged it off. It didn't really matter to him anyway.

The assassin entered the parlor and nonchalantly kneeled next to the coffee table, brushing it thoroughly with his feather duster while the fingers of his other hand dug into his pocket, retrieving yet another device. He placed it at the bottom of the table as he continued maintaining the appearance of a conscientious cleaner. Rolo straightened his back and stood up, observing the sitting room. Instantly, he had a flashback to a moment which took place in the parlor three weeks ago, where he first met Shirley. She was interviewing him as a job applicant and readily accepted him, smiling amiably as she did so, much to his surprise.

Thinking about the cheerful orange-haired teenager caused Rolo's mind to wander over to the fact that he was supposed to murder her and Lelouch. His insides turned cold and he shivered violently. Rolo had never bothered about the morality of his deeds in the past. Schneizel simply gave him an assignment, and he would complete it. He had no other purposes in his life after all. At least he received praise from his master after every successful operation, which made him feel slightly better. However, he now felt unwell at the idea of killing his two targets - or at least one of them. Nonetheless, a small voice in his mind continued to argue. _"Could you really complete your mission when the time comes? She has treated you well and with genuine sincerity, and you're going to repay her by murdering her and Lelouch?"_

" _Infinity decreed that they must die,"_ Rolo thought heavily. _"I merely exist for his orders to be carried out. I am his tool. My life is empty without him and his commands."_

" _Are you sure about that?"_ the voice taunted him mockingly. _"You seem to enjoy the time when you forgot about him. It almost seems like you've grown to like the targets."_

 _"That's not true. They mean nothing to me."_

 _"Then why did you keep that locket from Shirley?"_

" _It's nice and she gave it to me willingly,"_ Rolo responded guardedly. Why would anyone reject that? _"Of course I'd keep it!"_

" _So defensive. Say, have you ever thought of living a different sort of life without Infinity?"_

 _"I can't imagine that."_

 _"But you already lived one,"_ the voice countered. _"You didn't have any memories of him for the past two weeks, and I know a part of you likes it more than the life you're forced to lead under him. Don't try to deny it."_

 _"What are you trying to suggest?! That I quit my job as an assassin, cut all contact with Schneizel and continue living here as a servant?"_ Rolo questioned himself angrily. He must be going crazy if his inner voice is frustrating him. _"If I do that, he could expose me as a spy and they'll kill me for that!"_

 _"Are you sure? They are nice people. They may even understand and eventually forgive you."_

 _"I'm a murderer. I've killed many men and women, and my current mission is to kill them. How can they look past that? They may be kind, but I doubt they would be merciful to someone sent to assassinate them."_

 _"Well... I still think you should try-"_

" _Oh, shut up,"_ Rolo commanded harshly, banishing the annoying voice in his mind. Unfortunately for him, his mind wandered over to the times when he interacted with Shirley. Becoming friends with her. Receiving his first birthday gift. Getting tended to by her. Notwithstanding his attempts to convince himself otherwise, Rolo already knew that at least she meant something to him. The young assassin gritted his teeth in frustration. If he had a choice, he would give up on his mission. Unfortunately, he was never presented with many options throughout his life. With a heavy heart, he set forth to resume placing the devices all over the villa.

* * *

Nunnally tried not to look at the students of Ashford as she made her way to the student clubhouse. A lean, stern-looking bespectacled woman clad in a dark blue dress pushed her wheelchair forward gently. She had long dark hair tied in a bun and brown eyes which shone with severity. Hushed whispers followed them, but the woman paid them no heed.

It has been slightly over three weeks since the uproar caused by Lelouch's return to Britannia. At first, most of the students assumed that the exiled eleventh prince sharing the same name as Nunnally's brother was a mere coincidence. However, all it took was one of them took a good look at the Prince's picture to realize that he bore a striking resemblance to Lelouch Lamperouge. The rumors spread like wildfire, but none of them dared to approach Nunnally to confirm it so far. Perhaps they were intimidated by the sheer possibility that she was a princess. Nonetheless, it caused her to lose whatever friends she had at Ashford. She had hoped that the student council members would still be on cordial terms with her, but most of them already graduated. The only one left was Anya, and she was indifferent as ever.

Today was the day of the annual Ashford academy school festival, but Nunnally was unable to participate in it due as her bodyguard, the woman in the dress, forbade her to do so. She understood the danger of course - the school festival was a large-scale event which is open to the public, and hence it would be easy for assassins to infiltrate. Nevertheless, Nunnally was more than a little crestfallen - not just because she could not attend the festival, but that she was limited freedom merely due to her status.

As the crippled princess and her stoic companion entered the clubhouse, the former instantly turned to regard the latter. "Cornelia, do you think my friends would ever talk to me again?" Nunnally asked sadly.

"Give them time, Nunnally," the woman replied evenly. She reached up to undo her bun and let her flowing hair loose, before removing her fake spectacles and contact lenses, restoring the color of her eyes to indigo. Her hair was, originally purple, was dyed black and there was little she could do about it. Better than having a wig that could be easily misplaced or removed. Second princess Cornelia, the witch of Britannia and the goddess of victory shrugged casually. "They may eventually get over it."

"I can only hope that it is so," Nunnally sighed. "Princess or not, I'm a human being. I'm still Nunnally."

"You're right, sister. And I'm sure they'll see it that way soon," Cornelia smiled reassuringly at her younger half-sister. Nunnally returned it and slowly made her way to her room. The older princess nodded respectfully towards Sayoko, who was vigilantly watching them. The maid, who was also an accomplished martial artist, inclined her head in return.

Cornelia glanced around the clubhouse, noting that her disguised guards were watchful as ever. When she and her guard unit arrived at Ashford, she realized that none of them must give the appearance of soldiers to avoid drawing attention. It was to further confuse Clovis as well, although she personally had doubts that the third prince was associated with their enemies. Clovis may enjoy opulence and leading an exceedingly lavish lifestyle, but he was also affable and on fairly good terms with Lelouch prior to the latter's exile. Regardless of her personal thoughts, the second princess ordered her troops to pass themselves as the part of the staff of the academy. As a result, most of them looked like janitors or professors. Cornelia hoped that none of them were feeling disgruntled or bored after three weeks of no occurrences whatsoever.

* * *

Lelouch woke up and stretched slowly as he got out of the large bed. Light spilled in from the window and translucent curtains, illuminating the bedroom and the person remaining fast asleep on the bed. Shirley's breathing was steady as she slumbered peacefully, and Lelouch examined her for a moment.

The soft sound of knuckles rapping the door startled Lelouch, bringing him out of his reverie. The prince was surprised, for rarely anybody did such a thing early in the morning, as most of the staff was unwilling to wake him up in the wee hours of dawn out of respect. That meant that something must have happened, but it was not a grave matter either. If it was, surely they would have barged in instead or at least knock louder. "Come in," Lelouch called out.

The door swung open and Jeremiah stepped inside the bedroom. "Your Highness," The green-haired noble reported, careful to keep his volume down, after noticing that Shirley has yet to awaken. "His majesty wishes to see you as soon as possible."

"The Emperor?" Lelouch questioned softly. He glanced at the still sleeping Shirley. "We can't leave the villa, and you know that, Margrave Gottwald."

"Yes, and apparently His Majesty knows that as well," Jeremiah mused.

"What do you mean?"

"He's here right now, at the parlor."

"Really? That's unexpected of him. What does Charles want?"

"His Majesty has not told me about that, although he mentioned that he came because of an important matter," Jeremiah shrugged as he informed his liege. "He has emphasized that it is a paramount business and it should be completely discussed in secret."

"What is he up to…" Lelouch's voice trailed away. Regardless of what his father wanted, he did not like the idea of the Emperor being under the same roof as him. "Tell him I'll be there in five minutes."

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah saluted and withdrew from the room.

Lelouch sighed and sat back down on the bed, next to Shirley. The lithe girl, whose orange hair was splayed on the white bedsheets, showed no sign of waking up soon other than a brief stir where she made to hug the spot where Lelouch was. He smiled at the endearing act and leaned forward to kiss her tenderly on the forehead. "I'll be back soon," Lelouch whispered. The eleventh prince headed to his wardrobe to change his attire of nightwear to a pair of dark slacks and a light blue formal shirt. He gave Shirley one last lingering glance before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

"Ashford Academy! It has been a long time," Rivalz exclaimed as he alighted the bus. He shielded his eyes from the morning sun, squinting at the grand educational institution before him. After he spent several weeks working as a bartender, he decided to take a break to visit the academy since it was the annual school festival after all. It was not that his job was boring – indeed, hearing the bar's patrons regale everyone with their stories was fairly entertaining, but he found that he missed his old school tremendously and thus resolved to pay it a visit. Maybe it was whimsical of him, but he did not care about that.

As the blue-haired teenager neared the school, a series of spectacular fireworks exploded in the blue sky. The extravagant display reminded Rivalz of Milly, and he wondered whether Milly would be around. The blonde was now working as a reporter, but Ashford Academy was her home. He still had a hopeless crush on her and he fervently wished to see her again.

Rivalz strode past the school gates, noting that he barely recognized any of the students milling around. Not that he expected to anyway. Most of his friends and acquaintances graduated with him after all. Nevertheless, he longed to see a familiar face again and he found his feet taking him to the student clubhouse, where Lelouch and Nunnally used to reside. Rivalz frowned thoughtfully for a moment. He, like most of his ex-classmates and people in the school, heard the news of the eleven prince's return to the homeland and reinstatement to the imperial throne, and immediately recognized his face. He tried contacting Lelouch about it, but he never picked up his calls. Rivalz started to understand Shirley's frustration, as she was a frequent victim of Lelouch hanging up on her during their years as a student in Ashford. At least Nunnally should be still around, and perhaps he could ask her about it.

Rivalz entered the student clubhouse at a leisurely pace, nodding politely at the cleaners wiping the windows. For some reason, they returned it slowly, but he could feel their eyes examining him before looking away. He shrugged. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. Rivalz walked to the front of Nunnally's home and paused to take a deep breath before knocking on the metallic door gently. "Hi Nunnally, it's me, Rivalz!" he announced buoyantly. The door did not open, and neither was there a response. He repeated the gesture. "Nunnally, are you there?" He scratched his head sheepishly as once more, only silence answered him. He lowered his hand, his fingertips barely brushing against the doorknob accidentally when suddenly there was a growing sound of someone sprinting.

Rivalz instinctively turned around and gaped at a dark-haired woman, who rushed towards him at an alarming speed. "Hey-" he started, raising a hand, but he never had the chance to say anything else. She landed a punch on his midriff solidly, causing him to splutter, and her other hand clubbed him on his head, sending him flopping limply on the ground. She scuttled swiftly, twisting his arm painfully and kneed him in the back, effectively immobilizing him. "Ow! That hurts!" he screamed.

"Who are you?!" Cornelia demanded loudly.

"R-Rivalz Cardemonde!" The teenager squeaked, his voice a pitch higher from the sheer pain.

"Why are you trying to go in that room?"

"I was under the impression that one of my friends resided in there. Was I wrong?" Rivalz asked weakly.

Cornelia yanked at Rivalz's arm again, eliciting an agonized yell from him. "What's the name of your friend?!"

"N-Nunnally Lamperouge! Is she still around?" Rivalz made an attempt to rise, but Cornelia promptly stepped on his head, flattening his blue hair.

"You're lying! If you're truly a friend of hers, I would've noticed you around," Cornelia growled threateningly.

"That's because I've graduated already! I'm just paying her a visit, I swear!"

"And why should I believe-"

At that precise moment, the door slid open, causing both Rivalz and Cornelia to instinctively turn their heads towards it. Nunnally's eyes widened at the sight of him being forced into a submission hold by the latter. "Rivalz! What are you doing here- and Cornelia, what are you doing to him?"

"You know this person, sister?" Cornelia asked suspiciously, her eyebrows raised.

"Yes! He's a friend of mine and Lelouch's", Nunnally answered, her eyes wide with shock. Cornelia blinked rapidly and looked back at her victim. "Could you release him, please?"

"Right…" Cornelia relented, leaping backward to allow Rivalz to rise. He groaned and massaged his back and arm. The second princess gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry about that."

" _Sorry doesn't quite cut it,"_ the blue-haired adolescent thought, but did not say. Better not risk further antagonizing the woman who just proved to be an adept martial artist. "It's alright. I suppose part of the fault is mine too," he lied.

"Glad that you have no hard feelings," Cornelia nodded. If she noticed that Rivalz was being dishonest, she either let it past or she did not care. "If you truly are a friend of Lelouch and Nunnally, you must understand that these measures are necessary."

Rivalz pursed his lips. "Then the rumors are true then?" He turned towards Nunnally. "You and Lelouch are really royalty?"

Nunnally momentarily balked at the idea of letting Rivalz know, but she saw no reason to hide the truth from Rivalz any longer. She nodded slowly, her sandy brown hair swaying. "Yes. And this is second princess Cornelia li Britannia." Rivalz took a step back in surprise as he looked at Cornelia again, who tilted her head. "Please don't spread it around."

"God…" Rivalz groused under his breath. "I can't believe I used to spend time with you two so casually. My life's messed up. I've known a prince and princess for three years and just got tackled by another princess." A moment of awkward quiet ensued. Rivalz then attempted to inject some levity into the conversation. "I bet Shirley should be feeling great at least. She could marry into the royal family now!"

None of the two princesses looked entertained in the slightest. Instead, Cornelia and Nunnally exchanged a grim look. Rivalz realized that he must have erred. "It was just a joke. Sorry. Although… The looks on your faces say that something is wrong. What is it?"

Nunnally exhaled and beckoned Rivalz into the room. "It's a long story, and I can tell you all about it. However, it's best to do it in a place where no one can eavesdrop."

"Nunnally, I don't think it's a good idea," Cornelia interjected, stepping in between Rivalz and the princess. "He doesn't need to know the truth."

" _I deserve to, as their friend,"_ Rivalz wanted to argue but abstained from doing so. They were princesses after all, and one of them was quite intimidating. "It's fine. You don't have to tell me. I just wanted to catch up with you," he said feebly, not wanting to put Nunnally in a spot. "I guess I should just leave right now."

"Oh no, it's been a long time since I had a friend come over. Just come on in. We can still chat about other things over a cup of tea or something," Nunnally cajoled. When Rivalz still looked doubtful, she hastened to add. "I could call Milly over too. She should be free today."

Rivalz tried to conceal his emotions of anticipation to little avail. Nunnally could readily imagine him struggling not to agree so easily so to mask his feelings. "I guess I'll stay for a while then," Rivalz coughed unconvincingly.

"That's excellent!" Nunnally's blue eyes sparkling with joy. She gestured at Rivalz again. "Come on in then. It's been some time since we talked to each other."

Rivalz started walking, but Cornelia stopped him for a moment. The disguised princess stared at him seriously. "Remember, don't spread it around," she warned, an undercurrent of threat in her tone. He could not help but shiver slightly.

"Aye, Your Highness," Rivalz muttered. He had no desire to cross her again, especially after being on the receiving end of her punches. Cornelia mutely allowed him to pass, and she followed after him into Nunnally's home.

* * *

Shirley, still in her navy blue nightclothes, wandered around the villa as she attempted to search for Lelouch. She just woke up recently and found that Lelouch was gone. At first, she panicked and wondered whether something had happened to him, but the peacefulness of her surroundings convinced her otherwise. Thus, she assumed that something which demanded his immediate attention had cropped up and he went to deal with it. Nonetheless, the female adolescent could not help but wonder what happened and hence set out to find him.

Shirley turned around a corner and spotted a familiar figure, partially obstructed by a vase, kneeling beside the object. "Ah, Rolo!" she called out, and he started, jumping to his feet. Shirley made her way towards him, smiling amiably. "Did I startle you? Sorry about that. You seem pretty jumpy."

"Oh, not at all!" Rolo quickly lied. He was almost caught in the act of placing another bugging device by Shirley. "Uh, I'm just really surprised. The emperor is here today."

"He is? That's interesting… Wait, isn't it his second visit here since you were employ- oh wait, you lost your memories..." Shirley murmured, looking slightly guilty.

" _I've already regained most of them. All of the important ones,"_ Rolo thought. "I can't recall. I just never thought that I would see the emperor one day…"

"Trust me, I know how you feel," Shirley assured him, patting the servant lightly on his arm. Rolo glanced at the spot where she touched him with an odd expression on his face. "I mean, the first time I saw him, I wasn't even ready yet! Lulu pretty much told me about it just before we met him. It was so weird!"

"Uhh…" Rolo stared speechlessly at Shirley.

"I'm sorry, I guess I shouldn't have rambled on so much," Shirley giggled. "Say, do you know where are they? They probably do not wish to be disturbed, so I'll wait at a nearby location or something."

"No need to apologize," Rolo mumbled, shifting slightly. "They're in the parlor. I guess you can wait in the dining room since His Highness has yet to take his breakfast yet." He thought about the listening devices already installed and active in the sitting room, and wondered whether the information gleaned from today would be useful. Shirley appeared not to be paying attention to his words - she was staring wistfully into blank space after the mention of the dining room. "Shirley?" Rolo waved a hand across her face.

"Huh?" Shirley started. Her green eyes settled on Rolo once again.

"Did something happen? You were spacing out…" The assassin was curious. " _Besides, it might help in intelligence gathering_ ," Rolo reasoned to himself.

"Oh. Um… It's because I was reminded of what happened yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Rolo immediately became wary. " _Could she have known about Schneizel calling me?"_

"My parents were here for dinner the previous day. They weren't very happy when I told them about the previous attacks on me," Shirley bemoaned. My dad eventually gave us our blessing after making Lulu swear that he would keep me safe, but my mother was still against it."

"Ah," Rolo blinked. At the mere mention of the word 'parents', he instantly thought of his adoptive parents, who laid dead on the floor after he retaliated against their sadistic abuse. His brows furrowed. "That must be sad."

"It is. Say, do you need any help with your chores or anything?" Shirley suddenly switched the subject. She did not like to dwell on negative thoughts and was still feeling a little ashamed at how she inadvertently played a hand in Rolo's amnesia, and it disheartened her to hear that he has yet to reclaim any of his memories.

"No thanks," Rolo said abruptly. He had to resume his covert job of installing the bugs all over the house. In his hurry, his tone came off a little cold and clipped. Shirley detected it and she stared at him in consternation.

"Is everything okay, Rolo?" Shirley asked uncertainly. There was something about him that made it seem as though he did not want her around.

"Yes. I just… have a headache, so I'd like to be alone for a bit," the assassin quickly lied in an attempt to assuage her feelings. Rolo then wondered why he even bothered about how she felt.

"Alright," Shirley hesitated, then gave Rolo a radiant smile. For a brief moment, the problems that were weighing on Rolo's mind simply evaporated, and he beamed back genially, albeit unaware that he was doing so. "Do let me know if you need any help or someone to talk to, okay?"

"Sure," Rolo nodded. He watched as she turned and walked away, his pink eyes never leaving her back while she disappeared from view. _"I'm supposed to kill her when the time comes. Could I really do it?"_ The assassin's grin faded and he subconsciously dug out his cell phone. He surveyed the white and gold heart-shaped locket again, and for some reason he could not fathom, two recent memories flashed in his mind. Shirley dabbing medicine on his wound tenderly and celebrating his birthday with her and Lelouch. The youth clenched his fist around his phone in frustration, his knuckles turning white from the strain. Rolo put it back inside his pocket with a bitter, sorrow-filled expression on his youthful countenance before he stalked away as well to resume his mission.

* * *

"Let's skip the pleasantries, Charles," Lelouch said curtly, cutting off the emperor as he attempted to open his mouth. He was more than a little frustrated by his father's unannounced visit. "There's no time to waste." The two of them were in the parlor of the villa once more, and neither of them took a seat.

"Indeed, there is," the ninety-eighth emperor of Britannia agreed. "I have come today to entrust you with something that could be potentially extremely dangerous." Lelouch scowled. "I know what you must be thinking right now, but I have my own reasons."

"Very well," Lelouch sighed. "Let's start with showing me what exactly your object is."

Charles silently reached into his coat's pockets, producing a featureless dark brown rectangular case of a moderate size. Lelouch leaned forward inquisitively and the emperor promptly opened the box, displaying a slim, oddly-shaped item. It was long and colored with red, blue and gold. But what was most disconcerting about the object was the various buttons located all over it. "So what's this?" Lelouch asked.

"Even we are not entirely sure," Charles responded. Lelouch shot his father an irritated look. "This was confiscated from a terrorist ten years ago, by your mother, actually. With him were the blueprints of what seems to be an enormous flying fortress. Completely military in nature. The fortress, named Damocles, was armed to the teeth with both high grade short-range and long-range weapons of varying destructive power. Additionally, it was designed to be incredibly durable and equipped with state-of-the-art defensive technologies. Needless to say… such a weapon in the hands of a terrorist would spell doom for the world."

"Mother?" Lelouch was surprised, and he observed the key again. "What does this do…?" Lelouch idly spun the item between his fingers like he usually does with chess pieces.

"We suspect it to be an item which enables the owner to activate their superweapon. I suppose that its creator would not want his superweapon falling into the wrong hands either."

"I see…" Lelouch muttered, examining the key from all angles. "So you've kept this securely for ten years. Why change it now?"

"Because of the Sword of Akasha's return," Charles answered firmly. "Previously I've kept it locked up in the imperial palace. However, even during the time in the past when the Sword of Akasha was active, I never felt that this was safe with me because of their insiders in the Britannian royalty, which meant there was a risk of one of them stumbling on it. It was only out of necessity that I kept it with me. I couldn't rely on anyone."

"You think that the creator is part of the Sword of Akasha then," Lelouch stated.

"Quite possible. Whoever came up with this must have vast resources and dedicated followers. The Sword of Akasha, seeing that they have many rich nobles as sponsors and members, is the only rogue organization that has both."

"Fair enough. What made you choose me, then?"

"I can't really trust anyone anymore in these troubling times, except you. Plus, you have a good track record against them so far, if their latest failed attempt was any indication."

"How touching," Lelouch sneered sarcastically. "You are aware that this only gives them more reason to attack us, right? And I don't think they're going to relent, regardless of how many times they fail either. So in the off-chance that we lose… they're going to find this key-thing as well." The prince took the item in question and waved it around.

"I'm aware of that," Charles dipped his head. "However, it's far better than them waltzing into the imperial palace and finding it. I may have kept it safe for the past several years, but now I grow uneasy that they may find it since they are gathering strength once more. I can't simply bar every royal except you from the palace. Eventually, one of them would find it. Therefore, it's safer in your hands."

"Hold on a moment," the eleventh prince knitted his brows in deep thought. "If they're after this item so badly, and we have no use for it... why don't we just destroy it?"

"I believe that if we can somehow find the location to their superweapon, we can seize it for our own use. It's a treasure trove of highly advanced military technology. Hence, we can reverse engineer it to boost our research and development in the fields of military science."

"Are you saying that you want me to preserve this key instead of denying it to our enemies, which would put us in further jeopardy, just because of your greed for technology?"

"I'll strike a deal with you, Lelouch. You keep the key safe. I will find the location of this fortress. Once we got the control of this... Damocles, I'll let you have it. You can even reverse-engineer it and keep all the secrets to yourself."

"What makes you think I want the damn thing?" Lelouch growled fiercely. That question seemed to amuse Charles greatly, as the bigger male threw his head back and guffawed heartily. The prince resisted the urge to punch him in the chest as the emperor's laughter died down.

"Lelouch," Charles chuckled grimly, shaking his head at his son. "I'm getting old with age. The race to the imperial throne is inevitable, and it is often marked with conflict, assassinations and war. Have you forgotten? Plus, whenever a new emperor is crowned, most of their siblings would not be alive by then. The competition is simply too brutal. Even after their ascension, those who remain might not last that way either, depending on how merciful he's feeling."

Lelouch narrowed his eyes guardedly as Charles continued sombrely. "Such is the way of Britannia. How would having the Damocles, or at least its defensive technologies, help you when such an incident like the Emblem of Blood occurs again?"

"I would be able to use it as either a deterrent," Lelouch responded in a matter-of-fact tone. "Or if I want to, I can use it to assassinate the others."

"Correct. Unless you wish someone else to get the throne and butcher you and Nunnally later on? Or do you prefer to forfeit the competition by renouncing your claim to the throne again? If that happens, you cannot reside in this royal villa, and your security forces are no longer obliged to stay by you. The Sword of Akasha would ensure your demise easily in days." The prince gritted his teeth in rage, then something dawned upon him.

"I don't understand. You said that we're supposed to make a deal, but how does this benefit you?"

"Personally, I don't really care who becomes the next emperor, as long as it's not someone associated with the Sword of Akasha. I would never let Marianne's killers gain control of this empire."

"Just like that?" Lelouch frowned.

"Well…" Charles looked away for a moment, before staring at his son impassively. "Think of this as me repaying my debt for exiling you and Nunnally to Japan. And the following war between Britannia and that nation." Lelouch blinked in astonishment. He knew that his father wasn't heartless, but it still surprised him to hear such a thing from the emperor. "So what do you say, Lelouch?"

Lelouch silently pondered on how to answer his father, but in truth, there was no choice. While his current concern was the Sword of Akasha, he had future problems to worry about, such as the vicious race for the ascension to the imperial throne. "Fine," the prince grumbled. "I'll keep your stupid key." Part of him wanted to ask his father for additional guards as recompense, but he refrained himself from doing so. He could not trust any troops other than Cornelia's.

"I must apologize for placing more responsibility on you, but this is for the best for us both," the older, bearded male turned towards the door. "Farewell, Lelouch."

"Damn you, Charles." The raven-haired adolescent watched his father depart wordlessly. He frowned bitterly. _"The competition for the imperial throne. I can't let Shirley and Nunnally to get caught up in it. Euphie and Cornelia as well,"_ Lelouch took a deep breath and dismissed his thoughts. _"Deal with the Sword of Akasha first. If we survive, think of the race to the imperial throne second."_

* * *

"Well done, Agent Haliburton," Schneizel lavished praise on his subordinate. "Your work is timely indeed."

"It was a coincidence, but I'm glad that we learned a lot from the bugs," Rolo replied stiffly. The devices were all connected to Schneizel's computer, and thus the blonde prince has access to nearly every word exchanged in the Aries Villa. Rolo kept his voice down in fear of being overheard, as he was talking to Schneizel via phone call in his bedroom once again. If he was overheard, it would spell catastrophe for him.

"Indeed, now we know that the key is indeed in the villa," Schneizel said. "I'm surprised that it was originally in the imperial palace. I could never find it no matter how hard I tried. No matter. It's only a matter of time before it falls into my hands. Once you've retrieved it, remember to kill them and escape."

"... Yes," Rolo fought to keep his voice stable, which inadvertently trembled a little despite his efforts. He prayed that Schneizel would ignore it and end the call soon.

Unfortunately for the young assassin, Schneizel detected the quivering in Rolo's voice easily. _"Rolo may have regained his memories, but whatever he went through while he was suffering from amnesia might have affected his willingness to kill,"_ the older male mused. _"Plus Lelouch might be even more paranoid now that the key is in the same place as his. If I want Rolo to search for it effectively, I need something big to occur as a distraction."_ A malevolent idea ignited in the royal's mind. "Agent Haliburton, I'm afraid that I'm assigning you another mission."

"Wait, why?" Rolo asked. He was dumbfounded. "Does that mean that I'm aborting my current one?" he added, with a small note of hope in his tone.

"No, your present mission is paused for the moment until you complete this one," Schneizel informed his underling. The prince frowned when he noticed Rolo's tone as well. _"I definitely need to test him. If this goes well, it'll kill all the birds with one stone."_ He took a deep breath. "You are to eliminate another target. I'd imagine that this will be quite easy for someone of your caliber."

"Who's the target?" Rolo inquired heavily, a feeling of trepidation growing in his heart. Never once did Schneizel gave him another assignment while he was still carrying out another one. The servant in disguise had a notion that he was not going to like it.

"You sound unwilling, Agent Haliburton," Schneizel narrowed his eyes, tapping the side of his cell phone idly.

"I'm not!" Rolo realized that he was standing up, his voice nearly raised to a shout. He calmed down and lowered his volume to a mere whisper. "I'm ready and fit for duty, my lord."

"Very well," a wicked smirk formed on the Prime Minister's face. "I shall now reveal the man you shall terminate from the face of the earth. His name is…"

* * *

Author's Note: I feel the evil flowing through me again, so I'm stopping this chapter right here. Anyway, I hope that you guys still liked his chapter despite that's mostly set up plus some fun bits. I intended this to be a shorter chapter but I guess I got carried away... seven thousand words instead.

I wonder if anyone's surprised that Rolo is still working for Schneizel. Well, I think that switching sides is a really huge thing for him to do, and I doubt he would do it so soon even if he has thoughts of doing so. He has been working for Schneizel for years after all, and he only knew Shirley and Lelouch for barely a month. Regardless of how well he has been treated, I reckon that he would be hesitant of turning his back on his former master.

Do let me know what you guys think. Cheers! :)


	18. Awakening

**Author's Note:** Ahh, I've been dying to write this for months. Just a word of warning to the readers… things, uh, get heated here. I don't wish to spoil anything… I guess I can say that I most likely won't go into much details of the… um, stuff. I thought of giving you guys a heads-up before reading. Hope you guys enjoy reading this chapter as much as I had fun writing it. There must be something wrong with me, though... I always feel incredibly nervous and hesitant to post new chapters recently.

On another note, looking back at my previous chapters, I think they were a little too long and had not quite necessary details. With that in mind, I would be cutting back a little on word count while still hitting all the essential points. So... hooray. This chapter is more of a shorter length of six thousand words as compared to the past few ones. (7k for chapter 17, 9k for chapter 16, and 13k for chapter 15).

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Code Geass and I can't possibly own it.

* * *

 **Chapter 18  
Awakening**

Shirley's jaw dropped as she surveyed the massive ice skating rink, her green eyes wide with wonderment and surprise. The rink was bathed in a pleasant golden illumination, which was neither too bright nor dim. In the centre of it was Lelouch, already in his pair of dark ice skates and clad in his usual maroon leather jacket, dark tank top, and jeans. His hands spread dramatically in a welcoming gesture. The prince, after noting her awestruck stare, knew that he made the right choice and smirked. "You've never told me you had an indoor ice skating rink in the house, Lulu!" Shirley called out, folding her arms across her white dress. Despite her slightly accusatory tone, she was smiling.

"I wanted to keep it a surprise until there was a good time to use it," Lelouch shrugged casually. He subconsciously skated a small round. "Unfortunately, we never managed to find time to do so… until now."

"I didn't know you could skate either."

"It was one of the recreational activities, other than chess, I did when I was younger when my mother was alive," Lelouch stated slightly stiffly. Shirley winced. She inadvertently failed to remember that he didn't like to bring up his rather distressing childhood. "Nevermind that. Care to join me?" He extended an outstretched hand towards her, not before nodding at the pair of white skates next to her at the entrance of the rink.

"I'm curious. How did you come up with this idea?" Shirley inquired as she fastened the skates over her feet.

"Don't you remember? You mentioned that you liked ice skating and you even invited me to skate last winter. Thus, I thought that we should do it as part of your birthday celebration, since… well, I turned your offer down back then."

Shirley remembered that moment in Ashford Academy from many months back. They weren't dating at that point of time - it was numerous weeks before the auction and the spring dance. She did not blame Lelouch for rejecting her invitation, as the prince was actively trying to avoid his friends and emotional attachments during that period. "Today is the seventh of July. My birthday's on the eighth," she reminded him.

"Well, you would be expecting something like this if it took place tomorrow, wouldn't you?" Lelouch chuckled as he smoothly glided towards Shirley, grasping her slender hand and gently tugging her onto the ice. She wobbled precariously, prompting him to hold her closely. "I want to surprise you as much as possible."

The orange-haired adolescent smiled and felt a surge of gratitude towards him. "Thanks, Lulu. I must warn you, though..." She glanced down at his hands gripping her arms gently. "It's just been some time since I did this, and I think my skills have gotten rusty."

"It's alright. I'd like to think that I'm pretty good at this, so I can be your instructor for the day," Lelouch grinned. He slipped his hand into hers and adopted a more relaxed pace. "Slowly now."

"Really? I thought you're always terrible at physical activities."

"Well… I did say that I spent some time doing this when I was younger, so I guess this is an exception." Lelouch snapped his fingers loudly, and immediately jazz music started to play from the speakers. The soothing music, combined with the slightly dim illumination, created a tranquil atmosphere and the couple began to relax. The stress of their predicament temporarily alleviated, they skated over the ice at a leisurely pace hand in hand. A sense of warm contentment filled them as several long, blissful minutes ticked by. While the rather easy pace did not make the activity particularly exciting, Shirley savoured it nonetheless. It has been some time since she spent quality time with Lelouch after all.

As though Lelouch read Shirley's mind, he drastically increased his speed without warning, prompting a surprised squeak from her as they were still linked by their hands. "H-hold on!" She protested as he pulled her along.

"It's no fun if we just stay at such a boring speed," Lelouch called over his shoulder. He released her hand and gracefully skated circles around her for emphasis.

"Show-off," Shirley commented fondly as she eyed Lelouch's impressive performance. Lelouch heard the audible muttered and gave her a boyish grin. The dark-haired teen repeatedly sped past her, giving her gentle taps or brushes on her shoulder and cheek, clearly enjoying that he eclipsed her in a physical activity for once. "Lulu!" Shirley protested as Lelouch brushed his fingers against her cheek for the fifth time.

"Come on. I'm sure your balance is fine enough already," the dark-haired prince's lips curved into a small smile. Lelouch came to a stop next to Shirley and waited, as she seemed to be hesitating. Without warning, she suddenly twirled and bolted in the other direction, leaving a surprised Lelouch behind. "Hey!"

"Can't catch me, Lulu!" Shirley called over her shoulder playfully, laughing at the Lelouch's astonished countenance. He shook his head at her, amused by her silly antics. At least they would be able to forget about their plight for a while, regardless of how temporary it is. He watched her patiently, giving her a short head start before scrambling after her, with his eyes fixed intently on her back.

"Got you," Lelouch breathed into Shirley's ear, having caught up to her in a less than a minute, Startled, she almost slipped while turning around, but he managed to grab her, preventing an embarrassing fall.

"That's fast," Shirley pouted, slightly irked that she was so easily outclassed by him. "It took like, what, thirty seconds?"

"Well… I _am_ more accomplished in this after all," Lelouch stated smugly. "Now, it's your turn."

"Huh?"

"It's only fair that you get to do the chasing now, after springing that on me like that," Lelouch smirked. Without waiting for a response, he darted away quickly. Shirley blinked. She doubted that she would catch Lelouch easily, but she was unwilling to allow Lelouch to continue acting so smugly. With that in mind, Shirley set off in pursuit with a bright smile on her face.

The game of tag did not last long. While Lelouch was able to lead Shirley on a merry chase for the first few minutes due to superior experience and better speed, his poor endurance began to show as time passed. His pride did not want him to admit it, but he already knew that she would eventually catch up. "Alright, you win," Lelouch panted and halted, surrendering to the burning stitch in his side. The eleventh prince turned around and barely managed to get a glimpse of the orange-haired female approaching him at an alarming speed. Shirley was already close to Lelouch before the latter gave up suddenly, and could not halt in time. She collided with the lanky male, causing him to lose his balance, and the pair was sent sprawling to the ground. Fortunately for him, despite not being able to maintain his equilibrium, he managed to fall on his forearms, preventing his head from smashing painfully on the ice.

"Um… oops," Shirley flushed as she found herself on top of Lelouch.

"Why am I not surprised?" Lelouch chortled heartily. Shirley shot him an indignant look and swatted him on the chest, but she joined in the laughter as well. The hysterics died down, and their eyes met – the couple felt a jolt of intense affection rush through them.

Shirley leaned down and kissed Lelouch. "Thanks for the game, Lulu," she whispered. Her peridot green eyes bored into the prince's amethyst ones.

"You're welcome," Lelouch replied softly. Silence reigned for an extended period of time, with the exception of the jazz music playing in the background. "Shirley?"

"Yes?" Shirley asked absent-mindedly, still gazing at Lelouch dreamily.

"You can get off me now, you know."

"Oh, right," the redhead blushed again and she immediately got up. She stretched a slender hand, offering it to Lelouch. The prince promptly took it and she tugged him to his feet without much effort. He wasn't very heavy and she was athletic after all.

"I think that's enough skating for today," Lelouch muttered, moping at his brow. He was already feeling rather fatigued, having exhausted most of his stamina already. "I'm beat."

"I thought you're experienced with skating, and hence, shouldn't be you more energetic, Lulu?" Shirley asked.

"Maybe, but I had to plan this too, you know," Lelouch reminded her. He massaged his neck slowly. "Let's get out of here."

"Hmm? Where are we going, Lulu?"

"Follow me. I've got something for you," Lelouch replied cryptically, smirking again. Shirley raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and she wordlessly followed him out of the indoor skating rink.

* * *

Rolo pushed open the door to his bedroom and glared at his bag balefully. If he was honest with himself, he hated his new mission. " _Why him? What does it accomplish? Why today of all times?"_ the assassin asked himself in frustration. He was unable to give himself an answer other than the usually resigned response. " _Infinity's orders. You must do it without questioning."_

The servant-in-disguise closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His cell phone rang again, and at once he knew who was calling. Schneizel always contacted him before a mission as a reminder. Rolo clenched his fists tightly, ignoring the pain as his nails bit into his skin before he deigned to respond to the call. "Rolo Haliburton speaking."

"Remember your mission, agent." As expected, it was the leader of the Sword of Akasha. "Two a.m. in the next morning. You will observe the target's household before infiltrating the place. Disable any other individuals apart from the target. Once you've done that, kill him. I trust you remember the additional details? Such as what you're required to do after that?"

"Affirmative."

"You're able to sneak out of the villa without getting detected, are you not?"

"Yes. I'm more than familiar with the guard routines."

"Excellent. Now, I know you must be wondering why I want you to kill that man?"

Rolo furrowed his brows. Was he that easy to read? Or does Schneizel simply know him that well? "I'm curious as to why my lord wants me to go on a side mission."

"Joseph Fenette. He's the father of Shirley Fenette, one of your targets. If you assassinate him, his daughter would be understandably distraught," Schneizel explained. "And knowing my brother, he would be guilt-wracked by that. I'd imagine that my paranoid brother wouldn't be on the lookout for suspicious individuals searching for the key if he's busy beating himself up about her father's death. Thus, it will give you plenty of free time to look for the Damocles key." He did not mention that the primary goal of this mission was to ensure that Rolo was still capable of carrying out his orders. However, the secondary objectives, once achieved, has benefits as well.

The servant's stomach churned unpleasantly. "I… I see."

"And her mother disapproved of her relationship with my younger brother. Hmm. I guess it's going to lead to some very interesting drama later on, don't you think so? Enough to keep them distracted." Schneizel omitted that the primary reason for the mission was to test Rolo's willingness to kill a person related to someone he was familiar with. It would be nightmarish if he wouldn't be able to kill Shirley and Lelouch when the time comes, just because he has gotten to know them.

"…." Rolo kept his silence, his fist tightening around his cell phone. He felt slightly nauseous about killing his target – which has never happened to him before.

"Are you prepared for the mission, agent Haliburton?"

"Are you questioning my competence?" Rolo challenged in a fit of annoyance. He immediately regretted doing so – he had never talked back to Schneizel before, and his master was sure to register this new behaviour.

There was a moment of silence. "I never have, agent Haliburton. You were always the best assassin I've ever met. Make me proud, Rolo." The brown-haired youth swallowed heavily.

"I-I will," Rolo trembled slightly as he replied, fighting to steady his voice.

"Good luck, agent Haliburton. I hope to hear good news by four o'clock a.m. next morning," Schneizel ended the call. The second prince of Britannia was indeed disconcerted by his subordinate's rather confrontational words. Perhaps Rolo was under some stress after spending time in the villa without his memories. " _I definitely need to test him. This will just be the first segment of it to ensure his loyalty."_

Rolo staggered, gazing at his small, but comfortable bedroom in the villa wistfully. He brought up his green cell phone and examined the locket attached to it. It was his first ever birthday present, given to him by Shirley. An image of her, beaming radiantly as she handed him the locket, flashed in his mind. "If you knew who I really am, and what I'm going to do later, we won't be friends anymore, will we?" Rolo asked aloud, his tone tinged with sadness. He shook his head, sighed and pocketed his phone before slinging his bag over his shoulders and trudging out of the room.

* * *

Shirley's eyes were wide and unblinking with amazement as she dangled an elaborate-looking diamond bracelet from her fingers. Lelouch watched her raptly for her reaction. He was not very confident about picking gifts for women his age – because he rarely did such a thing. "How do you find it, Shirley?" He asked.

"Lulu... it's gorgeous," Shirley murmured, turning the bracelet around to examine it from all angles. "It's really nice. It must be really expensive." She tore her eyes away from the jewellery to look at Lelouch.

"Hey, it's not too costly for me," Lelouch drawled lazily, sitting down on the bed. "One of the benefits of being a prince."

"You're going to spoil me rotten, you know," Shirley laughed. She sat next to Lelouch and tried on the bracelet, extending her hands forward to examine it. Her lips curved into a small smile. "Thanks, Lulu. It's really nice."

"It's nothing, really," Lelouch waved it off with a grin, glad that Shirley liked the present.

"It's so rare to see you look this carefree nowadays," Shirley noted her boyfriend's relaxed demeanour. It reminded her of the times back in Ashford Academy, when he was always frivolous. It was slightly off-putting to her back then, but right now she was more than pleased to see him so free from tension again. She sighed wistfully and leaned to her left, resting her head on his right shoulder. "How I wish everyday could be like this." Shirley yearned to go back to the simpler and more peaceful days.

There was a short pause before Lelouch quietly stroked Shirley's hair. "I know, but it's not possible." The prince's voice was tinged with melancholy. "Even if the Sword of Akasha is defeated, the inevitable competition for the imperial throne is next." He kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry for getting you involved."

"No need to apologize. You can't help it either," Shirley responded gently. "I'll stand by you through thick and thin."

Lelouch let out a shaky chuckle. "I guess I'm a lucky man, then."

 _"Guess?_ "

"No, I'm definitely a fortunate man," Lelouch corrected himself nervously. Shirley giggled, and he felt an intense rush of endearment towards her. Silently, he reached up to cup her face. Her peridot green eyes seemed to draw him in, and he soon found that there were only mere inches between their lips. Without hesitation, he leaned forward, kissing her lips fully, their minds completely blank with bliss.

After what felt like forever to the couple, they broke apart. "Shirley…" Lelouch spoke tenderly. "I cannot make every day be like this, no matter how much I want it. However…" Their eyes met, and Shirley could sense a burning desire in his amethyst orbs. "We can forget all of our problems just for tonight."

"Oh. Um..." Shirley realized what Lelouch was implying. She looked away, staring at the floor. Lelouch could tell from her body language that she was extremely tense. He felt a pang in his heart. Was he too bold after all? The tension grew palpable as time ticked by. "I… um… are we… are we really ready for this?"

Silence greeted Shirley's words and Lelouch stared at her. She felt heat – creeping into her face, and coiling in her body, and she risked looking up at him. The prince grinned, finding her shyness simply adorable. "I am ready if you are," he whispered hoarsely into her ear, sending shivers throughout her from the close contact.

The orange-haired girl hesitated for one second. Two seconds. "I love you, Lulu," Shirley murmured softly. She relaxed, all trace of anxiousness evaporating. "I love you so much." Lelouch stared at her for a moment, then his blank expression was replaced by a tender one.

"I love you too, Shirley," Lelouch whispered. The couple finally gave in to their burgeoning passions, and the night was full of fervor and affection for the two of them.

* * *

Joseph calmly watched the television while he reclined on a moderately comfortable grey couch in the living room of his house – a white and brown-painted two-story bungalow. His wife, Mary, shot him an irritated glare from the other side of the furniture– the third or so occurrence on that night, and he could tell that she was unhappy about something. Joseph mentally sighed. He knew what was going through her mind but he had a hunch that even if she discusses that particular subject with him, there would be no satisfactory conclusion as each of them was adamant on their stance.

Mary could not take it any longer. She had to broach the topic to her husband, otherwise, she would not be able to sleep. The sandy-brown haired woman gave Joseph a resentful look for ignoring her rather obvious glares over the past two hours or so. "We need to talk, Joseph," Mary piped up abruptly. As suspected, he did not even look surprised and instead he groaned. Despite Joseph's plain weariness, he turned towards her and matched her gaze evenly.

"And so we shall. What's on your mind, Mary?"

"It's Shirley's birthday tomorrow," Mary started, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm aware of that. We've already bought her present. We can send it to the Aries Villa tomorrow morning."

"And we wouldn't be able to celebrate with her for the first time in nineteen years," Joseph's wife continued, ignoring his other statement.

"Unfortunately."

"Just because they said it would be too dangerous for us to appear again. In front of our own daughter. Because the house they're living in is a prime target for terrorist attacks."

"Indeed."

"How on earth can you just accept that, Joseph?!" Mary exploded furiously, standing up. Joseph jerked in his seat, his resigned countenance switching to an alarmed one. "How could you even allow Shirley, our only child, to continue to be in a relationship with that prince?! Especially after knowing that she's in danger if she does so!"

Joseph sighed and wiped at his brow. "We've been through this before, Mary. I understand your concerns, but we know how headstrong Shirley can be. If you continue pushing for her to break up with Lelouch, the only thing you'll accomplish is a damaged relationship with your daughter. If I joined in, then both of us will have a damaged relationship with our daughter."

"I can't believe she'd choose him, some guy she knew for forty months, thirty-six of which she didn't even know his real identity, over us!" Mary fumed, folding her arms across her chest. "We're her parents, Joseph. And she-"

"It's not that simple and you know it," Joseph interrupted. "She's absolutely smitten with him. Our girl loves him, and you surely you can tell. If my own parents told me to leave you twenty-five years ago for God-knows-what reason, I wouldn't do it. Now, would you end your relationship with me back then when we were dating if your parents told you to do so? Or would you try to get them to approve of it instead?"

Mary opened her mouth, then closed it. She was at a loss for words. "I'm going to bed," she suddenly snapped and turned on her heel before marching up the oak stairs to their bedroom. Joseph blinked and wordlessly let his wife pass. He could not resist the urge to smirk slightly. At least she more or less admitted that she had no good answer for his question. Maybe there was a way of swaying her opinion eventually after all. What Shirley needed from them right now was love and support, not stern and forceful disapproval.

In spite of Joseph's personal convictions, he supposed that his wife had a point. If he was honest with himself and had a choice, he'd prefer Shirley to be with someone else. Joseph didn't want a rich or well-known son-in-law. He wanted one who could give his daughter a stable, safe and happy life. While he was fairly certain that Lelouch would strive to the very best of his ability to do so, there might be some things beyond his control, prince or not. However, he did not have any other options. Shirley made it very clear that she would remain with Lelouch even if the world was against it. Joseph chuckled darkly to himself and shook his head. Trust his daughter to remain as stubborn as she was many years ago.

Joseph put his hands behind his head and exhaled heavily, reminiscing about the times he had spent with his daughter when she was a child. Notwithstanding of whatever faults Shirley has, or his personal thoughts, he was proud of his daughter's strength and will to stay by Lelouch's side in the face of peril. His eyelids grew heavy as he continued lazing on the couch, and he was about to fall asleep when he heard a soft thump upstairs. His brows furrowed and he thought of dismissing the noise, but it was quickly followed by a muffled high-pitched scream. He bolted upright, perturbed, and stared at the ceiling.

"Mary? Is everything alright?" Joseph called out. Only silence answered him – but that only unsettled Joseph even more. The geologist thought of his wife and his sense of apprehension multiplied. He hastily rushed to the kitchen to retrieve a knife, trying to make as little noise as he could. He cautiously tread up the stairs, the blade hidden behind his right wrist.

Joseph paused warily as he faced the door to his bedroom. If there was indeed an intruder, he had to act fast and carefully. He took in a deep breath before swiftly reaching for the doorknob and tugging the ivory wooden door wide open, his right hand raised, knife at the ready.

A rather small figure, clad in what looked to be dark blue camouflage clothing, stood near the doorway silently. Joseph instinctively tried to get a glimpse of the enigmatic intruder's features, but he was covered head to toe. His eyes – Joseph assumed that the trespasser was a male, were obscured by a pair of sunglasses and not even an inch of skin was displayed. Despite his smaller stature, the interloper radiated an aura of calm deadliness.

"Who are you? What do you want?!" Joseph scowled as he adopted what he hoped to be a threatening pose. He waved his blade at the intruder, who did not respond immediately. The geologist risked a glance at his wife, who was splayed on the floor unceremoniously, unconscious, but unharmed. Joseph felt a range of emotions filter through him. Relief, because his wife appeared uninjured. Confusion, towards the infiltrator's presence. Anger, at the trespasser's deeds. He must have somehow knocked out Mary before Joseph came to investigate.

"What do I want…" Rolo murmured in an aggrieved tone, lowering his head. Joseph was taken aback. The encroacher almost seemed to be ashamed – or hurt. His voice sounded young – perhaps one or two years out of puberty. "It's never about what I wanted, Joseph Fenette. It was always about what my master desired."

"What are you talking about?" Joseph demanded of the uninvited stranger in his home. Unease flooded through his mind. "Who the hell are you?"

Rolo's gloved fists clenched. One hand reached towards his combat dagger, which hung from his waist. "I'm an assassin. And my target is you, Mr. Fenette."

"What?" Joseph asked, shocked.

"I'll make it quick. You won't have to suffer," Rolo promised, his voice cracking on the last note. He advanced on the older male, brandishing his weapon as he did so.

Joseph's fist tightened around the handle of his own knife. He glanced at the unmoving body of his wife and grimaced. He only had two options. Either fight the assassin, try to stall him by evading and calling the cops for help – why didn't he think of the latter before confronting the source of disturbance? He eyed his opponent's blade – a wicked-looking knife with serrated edges, with foreboding. While Joseph doubted that he would last long against his opponent, he was worried that the assassin would make a move on Mary if he avoided him. The best choice was to make as much noise as possible to attract the attention of his neighbours or passersby, who would hopefully call the police while defending himself against his adversary. Without further ado, he uttered an incoherent, loud cry and charged forward, which surprised Rolo as he did not expect Joseph to initiate the fight.

However, the geologist's advantage of surprise did not last long against a more seasoned assassin like Rolo, who sidestepped the clumsy stabbing move with ease and kicked at Joseph's knees, causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards, crashing on the ground. While Joseph was disorientated by his jarring fall, Rolo stalked towards him and viciously stamped on his right wrist, prompting him to release the kitchen knife, which the former swiftly kicked away.

Weaponless and cornered, Joseph made a last-ditch attempt to rise. However, Rolo was quicker. His mind still focused on the mission, he plunged the military grade blade into Joseph's torso. The larger man yelled in excruciating pain as he felt the knife rip through flesh with ease. Gore trickled out of the grievous wound slowly as Rolo grimly shoved the weapon as deep as he could. Joseph met his would-be killer's eyes, and through the cloud of agony, he saw remorse and uncertainty gleaming in his foe's orbs. Rolo's death grip on his weapon briefly slackened, and Joseph used the last bit of his strength to seize him by the front and hurl him bodily across the room.

The seasoned murderer effortlessly recovered, turning the awkward fall into a graceful roll and landing. He watched Joseph, who was now breathing heavily while trying to crawl away from his assailant, the dagger still embedded in his body while blood dribbled from the severe wound. Rolo wordlessly unsheathed his second knife, identical to the first one, and closed the distance between him and Joseph in two large strides.

Joseph took several gulps of air and his vision was blurred from tears of agony. He knew he looked pathetic – trying to drag himself away from his soon-to-be killer while on all fours, but the thought of death dismayed him, as that would mean leaving his wife and daughter behind. "D-don't do this," Joseph pleaded in desperation. He raised a hand imploringly at his nearing adversary. "Please..." Rolo now stood over his victim, lifting the knife above him. "I have a wife! I have a daughter!"

The descending knife stopped, and Joseph held his breath despite the wracking pain. Sweat dripped from his forehead. He felt a tiny spark of hope rising within him " _Have my words somehow worked on him?"_

Rolo shut his eyes, which have become moist for some unknown reason. A recent memory of an orange-haired girl flashed through his mind. She was leaning over him to tend to his bruises on the beach with the utmost gentleness. She gave him a sincere and apologetic smile for accidentally harming him once again. "I know," Rolo croaked. He opened his pink eyes and stared at Joseph. "I'm sorry." The blade was held high, and Rolo swung it in a slashing motion at his victim's neck. This time, it did not stop its descent.

It was the last thing Joseph ever saw.

* * *

Shirley woke up with a vigorous start and nearly fell off the bed. The adolescent managed to right herself at the very last moment and she flushed at her own embarrassing lack of grace. She recalled an unpleasant series of images and grimaced, before rubbing her temples. The lithe teenager just had an odd nightmare but was unable to remember much of it. She could only recall splashes of what disturbingly looked like blood and panicked voices calling out. The latter frightened her more than the former as she could recognize the voice as one belonging to her father.

"It's just a dream. It can't be real. Everything's fine," Shirley assured herself. In spite of her own words, she still felt disquieted. Perhaps telling somebody about it would make it better. She turned sideways to gently wake Lelouch up, only to realize that she was alone. In her troubled awakening, she failed to notice that the prince was already up and not by her side.

As Shirley gradually grew more aware of her surroundings after the distressful dream, she came to realize that she was bare, and colour crept to her cheeks once more. The recollection of the events which took place last night in a moment of passion swam to the front of her mind, and she quickly diverted her thoughts away. Her face still burning crimson, Shirley quietly slipped out of the bed and moving towards the wardrobe to grab a set of clothing before heading to the bathroom, which was conveniently connected to the bedroom, for a shower.

Half an hour later, Shirley, clad in a plain but comfortable white t-shirt with dark green sleeves and blue shorts, began wandering around the house to search for Lelouch. It did not take her long - a mouthwatering aroma of food being cooked was emanating from somewhere below her, and where else could the prince be on the morning of her birthday, other than the kitchen? " _He's most likely fixing something for me,"_ Shirley thought fondly as she made her way downstairs.

True to Shirley's predictions, Lelouch was standing before the stove. He glanced over his shoulder as the kitchen door slid open, revealing his smiling girlfriend. "Happy birthday, Shirley," Lelouch greeted. His amethyst eyes twinkled with amusement. "Had a good night's rest?"

"Good morning, Lulu," Shirley blushed. "My night was as good as yours." She thought of telling him about her nightmare but decided against it. Lelouch appeared to be in a good mood and so was she.

"You're adorable," Lelouch remarked, noting her reddening cheeks. "You don't have to be bashful about it, you know."

"I know. I just can't help it," Shirley knew what Lelouch was talking about. She pinched his nose playfully, and he made a noise of protest. The redhead giggled and peered over his shoulder. "What's cooking?"

"Blueberry pancakes, which are already done," Lelouch gestured sideways at a plate of said food. "And eggs Benedict served with cherry tomatoes and sauteed mushrooms." Shirley beamed gratefully at him. He remembered that she listed blueberry pancakes and eggs for her favourite breakfast foods.

"That's a lot. Are you trying to make me fat?" Shirley asked lightly, laughing.

"Come on, it's your birthday. You deserve to indulge every now and then," Lelouch chuckled. "And you're so thin anyway. You need to eat more."

"Says the walking twig," Shirley eyed Lelouch's lanky frame with an amused twinkle in her eyes.

"Hey!"

Shirley stifled a giggle after witnessing Lelouch's indignant expression. She almost missed her rather silly banter with him back when she had a crush on him while schooling in Ashford. Her spirits rose at the thought of the simpler and far more pleasant times in the academy. "I was kidding."

"You'd better be," Lelouch warned, although there was a spark of mirth in his eyes. "Between the two of us, I'm the only one with culinary abilities. You won't have a choice but to eat high-calorie food if that was the only thing I cook."

"You're mean, Lulu," Shirley pouted. Lelouch guffawed and was about to reply when there was a series of urgent knocks on the door.

"Come in," Lelouch called out, his brows furrowing in wonder.

"Pardon my interruption, Your Highness!" a middle-aged male servant gasped, bowing quickly towards the pair, who turned to regard him. "We've received a parcel outside a few minutes ago. The sender's address is forty-three Treslar Street."

"That's my house in Pendragon," Shirley recognized the address immediately. It was her family's home before they moved to Area Eleven. Her parents never sold the estate, as they expected to return to Britannia occasionally. "It must be from my parents." She cocked her head to the side inquisitively, wondering why the helper looked so panicked.

"Well..." the servant shifted uncomfortably. "There must be something wrong with the contents. General Darlton instructed me to inform you to head towards the front gates as soon as possible. I must say, he looks quite serious, though."

Shirley exchanged confused looks with Lelouch, before staring at the servant uncomprehendingly. "My parents wouldn't send anything dangerous." They were aware that all packages sent to the villa, regardless of its source, are inspected via X-ray. If they contained anything hazardous, they would be disposed of. "What's wrong with it?"

"I'm not aware, Miss Fenette. General Darlton merely ordered me to let you two know about it."

"Alright," Lelouch straightened his back, all traces of his previous laid-back attitude replaced with utmost seriousness. If Darlton had such a negative reaction but did not dispose of the package immediately, that meant that it contained something unpleasant instead of an unsafe item. "I'll go check it out. Shirley, stay he-" He abruptly stopped as Shirley frowned at him. He sighed, knowing that she did not like to be mollycoddled. "Fine. Come with me, but stay back a little."

"Right," Shirley said shortly, as the three of them departed from the house and made their way to the front gate. As they approached, she noticed a small group of soldiers, all with solemn looks, crowded around the area. Her sense of unease increased as her legs carried her towards the throng.

"Your Highness!" One by one, the soldiers noticed the nearing presence of the eleventh prince and rapidly turned towards him, saluting smartly. Two large figures at the head of the crowd, whom Lelouch quickly identified as Darlton and Jeremiah, mimicked them.

"What happened? General Darlton, Margrave Gottwald, could either of you tell me?" Lelouch demanded. Both of them appeared to be hiding something from view, and Shirley tried to peek behind their backs. It was to no avail, as they were simply too much taller and more well-built than her.

"You haven't eaten breakfast, have you, Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked.

"What kind of question is that?" Lelouch scowled, growing annoyed by the lack of answers.

"I guess not, then. Don't say I didn't warn you," Jeremiah hesitated briefly, glancing at Shirley nervously before beckoning Lelouch over. "Best if you come take a look at it first, Your Highness."

Lelouch trudged forward and the two military officers stepped aside for the prince. His face instantly paled as he stared at the object inside the innocent-looking nondescript brown parcel. A series of emotions flitted through him - consternation, horror, guilt, and outrage. He took several deep breaths and looked away, inadvertently glancing back at Shirley, who was a few feet behind him.

"What is it, Lulu?" Shirley inquired, her voice shaky from nervousness. She glimpsed the look on Lelouch's face, and he looked far from fine.

 _"Should I let her see it...?"_ Lelouch shut his eyes as he pondered. _"She does not want to be shielded... wait, anyone in her position wouldn't want to see such a thing, you idiot!"_ He craned his neck to the left, opening his mouth to ask her to step back, but it was already too late. Shirley strode forward and joined him by his side, obtaining a full view of the package's contents, and froze.

The blank, dead eyes of her father's blood-smeared and severed head stared back at Shirley.

"D-dad?" Shirley mumbled numbly, gazing at the grotesque sight before her. Her peridot green eyes were wide with absolute shock and her fingers trembled uncontrollably. Moistness quickly came to her eyes. Whatever cheerfulness she had earlier was replaced by a tide of grief and she felt something within her shatter. "T-this can't be h-happening!"

Lelouch clenched his fists. The heartbreak in Shirley's voice was more than obvious. Sympathy and hatred for the perpetrators - likely the Sword of Akasha, rose within him. Hot tears spilled from her eyes over her face as she let out an ear-piercing wail of pure anguish and she slid to her knees. "Why...? Why would anyone do this...?!"

"Margrave Gottwald, get it away," Lelouch ordered quietly but firmly. Jeremiah instantly hastened to do his liege's bidding, picking up the package which housed the gruesome sight and hurried away. The prince contemplated berating the noble for the lack of warning, but it was far from the most important thing right now.

"Shirley..." Lelouch knelt down next to her anxiously, before enveloping her in a tight embrace. The distraught adolescent continued sobbing, and the prince could feel her nails digging painfully into his back, but he bore with it. Lelouch fumbled around for a way to comfort her somehow "I'm sorry," he simply said, failing to come up with better words.

"This can't be true… There's no way it can be…!" Shirley whispered fervently to herself while her chest shook and heaved with unadulterated sorrow. She tightened her arms around Lelouch. "Dad…" Lelouch felt a stab of pain as he was flung back into the far past, of him discovering his mother's bullet-ridden corpse in the very same villa. He briefly glanced back at the villa, then sideways at the disappearing form of Jeremiah carrying the head of Joseph Fenette. The eleventh prince of Britannia and the seventeenth heir to the throne could not help but bitterly wonder why misfortune constantly befell those whom he cared for.

* * *

Author's Note: Good god… I feel so horrible for making things go this way :( I can't help but feel awful.

Anyway, do let me know what you guys think about it. Was this unexpected? Was this a good usage of drama, or was it too sudden? Is this evil? I don't know, really.


	19. Lamentation

Author's Note: Okay, first of all, I admit that I did go a bit overboard in the last chapter. I confess that I like making things a little gruesome. And I was trying to make it have as much shock value as possible. So put two and two together and... voila. Apologies if it was shocking to you guys.

Anyway, I see a lot of reviewers commenting that the SoA is going to get demolished after what they have done. Just to clear things up a bit, I will get to that bit soon enough, but this chapter (as implied by its name) and the next is more centered around the aftermath of Joseph's death and the emotional state of the main characters. Hence, it's going to be some time before I get to to the part when the SoA gets actively involved again.

* * *

 **Chapter 19  
Lamentation**

Lelouch's eyelids fluttered open as he woke up from his slumber. He rose up slightly, rubbing his eyes and running a hand through his disheveled raven hair wearily as he cast a look around the room. It was still in the middle of the night, judging by the dim, dark bluish light, cast by the moon, in his room. He instinctively reached out to his right, where Shirley should be sleeping beside him, but his outstretched fingers found nothing but soft, crumpled sheets. Brows furrowing in surprise, he noted that Shirley was missing instead of sleeping soundly by his side.

Lelouch grimaced. Of course, she wouldn't be having a peaceful sleep tonight. Joseph Fenette has been murdered earlier this morning, and his head was sent to them on her birthday. Shirley has always been close to her father, and her father's death must have shaken her to the core. Little wonder that she was feeling restless tonight. " _Perhaps she wanted some fresh air or time to herself_ ," Lelouch mused, recalling his own shock and depression on the morning his mother was killed as well. He had was uncommunicative and inconsolable for many hours, before pulling himself together and seeking an audience with Charles.

The eleventh prince of Britannia sighed. He could not help but feel more than a little culpable at Joseph's death. He was completely innocent, and the murderers, if they were indeed from the Sword of Akasha, merely butchered him just to get to Shirley. " _If only I knew returning to Britannia with Shirley would have resulted in this, perhaps I should not have brought her along with me,"_ Lelouch reflected. He recalled her hysterically crying and clutching his arms, sobbing in denial. He knew that his move would entail some negative consequences, but he thought he was well-prepared for such. How wrong he was – and the Fenettes paid the price of his overconfidence.

 _"If Shirley wants some time to herself, I'll grant her that… but I should check up on her at the very least. There's always a possibility that she might do something silly after her father's death,"_ Lelouch thought to himself as he got to his feet, banishing whatever remained of his sleepiness as he opened the doors and headed out of his bedroom, wandering along a corridor as he searched for Shirley.

The dark-haired prince trod lightly as he approached the main doors of Aries Villa, and he scouted for the orange-haired teenager. He did not have to wait long, as he spotted a familiar slender figure in a nightgown, her hair pale under the moonlight as she rested her head against the banisters of the staircase before the front entrance. He was suddenly reminded that it was the same set of steps which his mother was sprawled on, spread-eagled and bullet-ridden, a decade ago. Nonetheless, he swallowed heavily and walked towards her, trying his best to ensure his light footsteps were nary making a sound on the carpeted ground.

Shirley appeared not to notice Lelouch's quiet approach and seemed to be fixated on something in her hand. Despite Lelouch's best attempts not to make a single noise, it was impossible for her not to hear him stalking towards her, in the dead quietness of the night. Shirley turned her head to stare at him wordlessly, and the prince winced when he saw the lifeless look in her eyes.

"Hey," Lelouch said awkwardly, stopping a few feet behind Shirley. "Is there anything I can help you with?" She did not respond, except for looking back at the item she cradled in her right palm.

"I was just… reminiscing," Shirley finally replied, shifting slightly to regard Lelouch. He caught a glimpse of the object in her hand and realized that it was her cell phone, which was displaying a picture of her family. It appeared to be taken several years in the past, as her parents looked younger and Shirley was much shorter. All three of them were beaming merrily, and he remembered, with a painful pang, that it was not possible for them to look like that again.

"It's the middle of the night."

"I couldn't sleep. Not after what happened."

"That's natural. I was just concerned when I didn't see you by my side, especially because of today's events."

"I'm not feeling suicidal if that's what you're concerned with," Shirley murmured. "I just wanted to relive my childhood memories with my parents, now that he's gone."

"…I see," Lelouch shifted in his shoes uncomfortably.

Shirley drew her knees to her chest before continuing, "You see this picture?" She extended her hand, dangling the phone in front of Lelouch. The picture of all three family members smiling broadly – the appearance of a perfect, happy-looking family captured in a single photo. "It was taken one day shortly after one of my kindergarten classes. My seven-year-old self told my father that I would marry him one day when I grew up. He-" Her voice cracked and she paused momentarily. Emotion briefly flickered within her eyes – but it was sadness. "He told me that was impossible, and I would find a man whom I would love more than him someday."

"Shirley, are you implying something?" Lelouch inquired uneasily, not liking the direction of the conversation.

"No," Shirley shook her head, her strands of orange hair swaying side to side. "I'm just afraid that some people might see it that way. That I chose you over my father."

"Like your mother and relatives?"

"Yes."

"Surely they wouldn't think that way," Lelouch tried to assure her, but he knew that it was a possibility. He recalled his conversation with Shirley's parents a few days ago, and how her mother disapproved of her relationship with him out of fear. Combined with the fact that she woken next to her husband's decapitated cadaver this morning, it would be more than likely that Mary's dislike of their relationship would only increase by leaps and bounds.

"I don't know. I can only hope," Shirley let out a frustrated sigh. Lelouch wanted to encourage her to think otherwise – but he preferred not to give her false hope, so he said nothing. She turned to face him again. "Lulu, do you know who the culprits are?"

"No," Lelouch admitted. "We are currently investigating as thoroughly as we can, but as of now we have yet to find any clues. However, given the circumstances, there can only be one party involved."

"The Sword of Akasha, right?" Shirley asked bitterly. Lelouch nodded slowly. "Why? What did my father ever do to them? Why would he even be a target? He didn't even do anything to deserve it!"

"The only logical explanation is that they killed him as a taunting gesture to us. Perhaps they were infuriated by their failure to attack us a few weeks ago."

"How can they be so barbaric…" Shirley's voice trailed away. She thought of Mao's assassination attempt on her, the killing of Crown Prince Odysseus, their attack on the villa and finally, the hideous scene of her father's severed head. All of these atrocities committed for fallacious reasons. "I hate them," she whispered fervently, loathing laced in her voice. "I want them gone."

Lelouch studied Shirley for a moment, a sinking sensation spreading throughout his chest as he noticed the abhorrence in her tone. While her hatred was to be expected, he still was disquieted over the fact that this teary-eyed and resentful youth bore no resemblance to her usual cheery and lively self. _"This wouldn't happen if you just controlled yourself back then, and rejected her,"_ a small voice in his head reminded him. "So do I. They killed my mother after all," he said, his expression hardening.

"Tell me, Lulu. After your mother was killed… did you want revenge?"

"Shirley… don't think about it. If anyone should go on the path of vengeance, it's me."

"They killed my dad!"

"And I will exact retribution on them on your behalf," Lelouch cut her off firmly. "I… can't let you get involved any longer in this." He crossed his fingers behind his back – silently begging her to agree. He could not bear to see her become obsessed with vengeance.

"Still trying to cosset me, aren't you?" Shirley raised an eyebrow. Her facial features softened slightly. "I don't blame you, you know. You couldn't have known that this would happen."

 _"Even so, I expected there to be some form of trouble if I brought you back with me, but I let my emotions get ahead of me. And your family paid the price for it,"_ Lelouch thought but did not say. He did not want to make the topic an argument. The royal looked slightly away from her.

"By the way… my father's funeral would be held on next Wednesday," Shirley informed Lelouch, watching his reaction raptly.

A lump formed in Lelouch's throat. "I will work with Darlton to ensure that the venue would be secure."

"Thank you, but that's not what I'm asking and you know it, Lulu," Shirley bit on her lower lip. Peridot green eyes searched amethyst ones. "Would you be coming?"

Lelouch hesitated briefly, and then his shoulders slumped. He thought of giving a half-truth but decided, to be honest instead. "As much as I would like to, I don't think I can face your mother and the rest of your other family members."

"I see," Shirley said in a barely audible voice. Disappointment radiated from her slim frame. _"So you do blame yourself…"_

"I'm sorry. I know that I should be there by your side but-"

"Don't apologize. I understand," Shirley interjected. Despite her words, she felt a twinge after Lelouch told her that he would not be attending. Regardless of her own feelings, Shirley did not want to pull him along if that meant more turmoil for the prince. She took a deep breath. "Could you sit beside me for a while at the very least? I think I could use some company tonight."

"Sure," Lelouch slowly walked towards the stairway and took a seat next to Shirley. Seeking comfort, she rested her head on his shoulder without a word, and the pair simply sat wordlessly for the rest of the night.

* * *

"What did you do with the head of Joseph Fenette?" Rolo suddenly found himself asking Schneizel. The assassin was again in his small bedroom, and he just finished giving a mission report to his master, and the latter usually allowed his subordinate to voice any questions he had.

"Curious again, huh?" Schneizel muttered. Rolo was showing a rather surprising amount of interest in the aftermath of his assassinations. Normally he would not even bother about such. The blond prince remembered that Rolo also questioned his idea of killing Joseph, albeit without much opposition. Nonetheless, it was unexpected of him. "I sent it to the Aries Villa on the next morning. I'm sure that everyone there is now aware of Joseph's death, although I doubt it would be a subject widely discussed in the open."

"You what?" Rolo asked somewhat incredulously. His grip around his green cell phone tightened. "Shirley's not going to be happy about that…"

"Well, she's human, so naturally, she wouldn't be," Schneizel rolled his eyes. "And what a coincidence it was. According to the database of Britannian citizens, it was her birthday too. That goes well for us too."

"Birthday…" Rolo murmured, his pinkish eyes briefly darting to the ivory and gold locket on his phone. He felt chilled inside as he realized that, in a twisted fashion, he indirectly gave her the severed head of her father as her birthday gift. The assassin suddenly felt sick to the stomach – although he had done works which easily surpassed his previous mission in terms of gruesomeness before.

"Agent Haliburton, are you ready for the next step of our plan?" Schneizel's voice brought Rolo out of his reverie. "It is crucial that we start searching for the key as soon as possible."

"Yes, I am," Rolo replied quickly, hoping that his master did not sense his uneasiness.

"Good. I trust that you are capable of accomplishing our objectives," Schneizel ended the call.

Rolo wryly thought of how unjust it was to repay Shirley's genuine kindness through killing her father. While he had little choice in the matter, he was rankled by such unfairness. _"Infinity's orders. You must obey,"_ he recited the mantra flatly. In spite of his efforts, he could not help but glance at the locket again, and frown bitterly.

* * *

 _One Week Later…._

Shirley, dressed in a flowing dark garb, dragged her feet along as she entered the cemetery. The overcast sky seemed to echo the gloomy atmosphere, dark clouds gathering over the area with the distinct, ominous sound of rumbling thunder. As she walked deeper into the graveyard, she recognized some of the figures ahead of her. Several of her cousins and other members of her extended family, some of whom she had not seen in many years, were milling about, dressed in colors of mourning. Her mother, who was similarly dressed to Shirley, stood among them. As though sensing her daughter's approach, Mary turned to look at her only child, her unkempt curls of tawny hair swaying.

Neither Shirley nor her mother spoke a word as they stared at each other for a prolonged period of time. Several of their relatives cast them slightly curious looks, quietly wondering if the loss of Joseph was so hard on them to even exchange words. "Hi, mom," Shirley finally broke the silence. She tried her best to smile, but for some reason, she couldn't even complete such a simple action. "It's good to see you."

"… Hello, Shirley," Mary slowly replied. "And yes, it is… I just wish we didn't have to meet because of this occasion." Her hands trembled slightly.

"I know."

"Lelouch isn't here with you?"

"No. He has… difficulties in coming here," Shirley hesitated, wondering how her mother would react to that. "Although he has sent his regards and condolences, and provided many guards to ensure that this place is safe."

Mary's eyes darted over to the perimeter of armed soldiers surrounding the cemetery. "On the day your father died, some soldiers came over." She swallowed heavily as she recalled waking up next to Joseph's headless corpse, with some of his lifeblood splattered on her face and body. "They interrogated me and took his body away, but before they did, I asked them about who killed him."

"Mom…"

"They told me that they can't be sure, but it was likely that the killers were the same terrorist organization which attacked the villa. Is that true, Shirley?"

"It is what Lelouch and I think as well," Shirley admitted, seeing no point in lying. "There can't be anyone else responsible but them."

"Then what are they even trying to accomplish?"

"I don't know. We didn't get any clues."

"I see," Mary exhaled. A strong surge of acrimony rose within her. "Even so, it's undeniable that he was killed because of your association with that prince."

Shirley felt a stab of pain at her mother's words. "Mom-"

"I told you to leave him, and now look at what has happened," Mary continued in a low, cold voice. "Let me guess, even now, you wouldn't do so if I told you to, right?"

Shirley stared at her mother for several long seconds. Her heart plummeted after hearing her mother's thoughts – while she had expected such a reaction, it was still unpleasant to learn that the only remaining member of her family was more or less blaming her, partially or otherwise, for her father's death.

Mary took Shirley's lack of reaction as consent, and she looked away from her daughter with a steely look in her eyes. The younger female stepped forward, with the intent to continue speaking, but at that exact moment, a middle-aged priest dressed in a set of dark robes, his graying hair already receding, stepped forward. It was the indication that the funeral speech was about to begin, and Shirley reluctantly backed away and shifted to face the priest, her head bowed.

"We gather here today to celebrate the life of Joseph Fenette, who has now returned to his home with God," the priest began solemnly, addressing the crowd of people in front of him. Some of them were teary-eyed and sniffling; some were outright sobbing while the rest stared somberly at the grave before them. Shirley, belonged in the last group, for she could not summon any more tears for her deceased father, at least for now.

"He was a fair and honest man to everyone. He was a pious man who believed in God. He was a good friend to us all. To his wife, he was an exemplary husband," the priest continued. Mary Fenette sniffled loudly as she gazed at the coffin. _"Joseph Fenette, 1972-2019"_ read the top of the coffin. "To his child, he was a good father." Shirley blinked as moisture came to her eyes. A tear escaped from her eye and slid down her cheeks to her chin.

"Now let him rest in peace," the clergyman concluded, giving a slight nod to the assembly of people. A man in his late twenties, who was standing next to the grave, tiled his head subtly. He grabbed a spade and started shoveling earth into the grave. Thumping sounds of dirt colliding against the elaborate casket repeated continuously while the man went on about his work.

Mary watched, wide-eyed, as her husband's coffin was slowly buried before her. Flashes of the times she had spent with Joseph appeared in her mind – the time when they first met, the moment when they got together, and their wedding. It only seemed to be such a short time ago, and now his life was taken in a horribly violent assault. Something snapped within her, and she lunged forward, alarming the people around her, only to collapse in front of the grave, crying out. "No! Stop! He can't be dead! Don't make him suffer anymore!"

"Mom…" Shirley knelt next to her mother, who continued sobbing, clearly devastated. She could not bear seeing her like this – broken and in denial. "Mom, please… Dad wouldn't want to see you this way." She laid an arm around her mother's shoulders, intending to comfort her.

"Don't touch me!" Mary whipped around and stood up, startling Shirley. Her expression was quite deranged – it was quite clear that she was in an unhinged state from misery and despondency. "You caused your father's death!"

Shirley continued kneeling, her knees rooted to the ground, as her mother's words slammed into her with the impact of a thunderbolt. As much as her mind wanted to insist that there was no way she could be held responsible, it was a partial but ugly truth, regardless of how minuscule it was. The assassins did target Joseph because of his relationship with Shirley, and her affiliation with Lelouch. "Please don't say that, mom…" she mumbled, barely moving her lips, which felt numb from shock. "I couldn't have expected that this would happen."

"Even so, you still wouldn't leave him! What must it take for you to do such a simple thing? Is he really worth more than your family?! If so… get out of my sight!"

"Mary, that's enough," one of Shirley's relatives tried to intervene. The lithe teen, stung by her remaining parent's words, looked up. It was one of her aunts – her mother's younger sister if she recalled correctly. "Joseph wouldn't want to see you two arguing like this. And he would be upset if you continued pressing Shirley to break off her relationship. He did approve of it, after all-"

"And now he's dead!" Mary's scream drowned out all other noises. Shirley's eyes widened and they became wet again, tears pooling around its edges. A bolt of lightning flashed in the dark sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. "He's dead! He's dead because of it!" The first few droplets of rain descended from the clouds and quickly gathered strength.

Shirley could not bear it any longer. She could sense the piercing gazes her extended family members were giving her – be it sympathetic looks, confused or reproachful ones. She rose to her feet unsteadily and wordlessly turned heel and ran out of the graveyard, her vision blurred by the rain – or was it tears? Her long, toned legs easily carried her away from the cemetery in a matter of seconds and she staggered onto the city streets. The rain evolved into a torrential downpour and she slipped, crashing painfully on the pavement. In some ways, she hoped it hurt more – so, but no such luck.

Shirley buried her face in her hands, which quivered violently as despair flooded her mind. Her father had been murdered, and now her mother renounced her as well. Other passers-by barely paid her an inquisitive glance as they hurried past her to get out of the sudden rain. She could feel her soaked black dress clinging to her skin and orange hair plastered against her face. She slowly stumbled to her aching feet and dug her nails as deep as she could into her own arms, tearing the skin and drawing blood, a futile attempt to it could numb the agony she was currently experiencing. Her legs bruised and bleeding, Shirley began her long, forlorn walk back to the villa.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the Fenettes and their extended family, someone was secretly watching the funeral from an uncontentious black sedan, its windows tinted. The lanky male observed as the priest gave his funeral speech, his violet eyes trained on the back of a slender, orange-haired girl.

"I don't understand why we are merely surveying them, Your Highness" Jeremiah voiced his thoughts from the driver's seat. "She needs you to be there with her."

"I know. But if I appear, I might make things worse. I don't think I'm exactly popular after Joseph's death," Lelouch muttered, not bothering to look at his bodyguard – his sight was glued to Shirley's back. "I don't wish to make things more complicated for her."

"Pardon me, Your Highness, but while I think that's a good reason not to appear, it's not the main one."

"… Very astute of you, Margrave Gottwald. I can't face them. Not after what happened."

"You couldn't have been aware that such a thing-"

"Enough," Lelouch curtly cut the noble off, then let out a long sigh. "That's what Shirley said too. However, it doesn't change the fact that it would have been easily avoided if I stuck to my original plan."

"Well-" Jeremiah tried to reply, but he was interrupted again as a loud outburst reached their ears. Mary seemingly turned on her own daughter. Lelouch had stationed several guards around the cemetery, and all of them were bugged – willingly, of course, and the prince and Jeremiah could hear every word Shirley's mother was yelling at the top of her lungs through an earpiece. "That... didn't go well." The nobleman commented lamely.

Lelouch clenched his fist and inhaled deeply. Jeremiah, sensing his liege's emotions, turned to speak. "Blaming yourself doesn't solve anything, Your Highness. You must get into action."

"Let's talk about our investigation of the Sword of Akasha then, Margrave Gottwald," Lelouch replied. "Have we found anything at the murder scene?"

"We couldn't find anything. There is no genetic evidence left behind by the assassin, nor can we find any other leads," Jeremiah slowly reported.

"Nothing? How about my hypothesis that we have a spy since they only targeted Joseph, and spared Mary? That indicates that they knew about his approval, and her displeasure, of my relationship with Shirley, and intended to sow discord by killing him?"

"We looked into the backgrounds of all the staff at the villa, including Cornelia's troops and the servants. Additionally, we searched their rooms as well, but unfortunately, this has yielded no results."

"I suppose we don't have anything at all, do we? Not a shred of evidence? A single clue?" Lelouch ran a hand through his hair, highly exasperated by the lack of progress.

Jeremiah hesitated. "We have nothing on the Sword of Akasha, for now, Your Highness. But that doesn't mean we should give up."

"We have been searching for weeks, since the day after we landed in Pendragon. Both you and I know that we did as much as we could spare over the span of the past two months. We tripled our efforts after Joseph was killed, but nothing came out of it. Tell me, Margrave Gottwald, and tell me truthfully – without any bias or intend to encourage me. What are the chances that we can find any pointers on the Sword of Akasha?"

"It's… very low, Your Highness," Jeremiah admitted. "We have a large amount of resources that we can command, yet we lack clues after each of their attack. That indicates how thorough and efficient they have been so far. Thus, the odds are probably less than three percent." An uncomfortable silence stretched on, and the Margrave decided to take the risk of reminding Lelouch. "Didn't you promise Miss Fenette that you would destroy the Sword of Akasha?"

"I seem to keep making promises which are not within my abilities to keep," Lelouch chuckled humorlessly. He held up his hand, ticking off his fingers. "I swore to keep Shirley safe, and that's not possible with the Sword of Akasha around. I made an oath to her parents to make her happy, and I begin to doubt my ability to do so. I promised her that I would obliterate the terrorists who murdered her father, and I have no clues on them." He watched as Shirley turned and fled from the graveyard, away from her family members, and snorted at himself. "The only thing I have managed to obliterate is a happy family. This whole thing was one mistake after another."

"Are you considering breaking your relationship off with her?" Jeremiah quietly asked. He typed a message to the soldiers around the perimeter, ordering them to follow Shirley while keeping a short distance.

"I don't know. I really don't." Lelouch's hand curled into a fist, and he pounded it on his thigh in irritation.

"You know that such a move would be too late. If you are to do so now, there's no guarantee that she will be safe. They already killed her father just to spite her, and they may easily kill her just to do the same to you."

"I'm quite aware of that," Lelouch said morosely as he threw his head back, leaning against the headrest. "I feel like I'm at a dead end. The walls are closing in on me. There isn't anything I can do."

"Don't lose hope, Your Highness."

Lelouch did not reply and stared at the gray tombstone of Joseph Fenette. He watched as the people attending the funeral slowly dispersed, bringing out their umbrellas to shield against the thunderstorm. "Let's go back, Margrave Gottwald," he finally spoke, deliberately ignoring what Jeremiah said earlier. "I've seen enough."

"If you say so," Jeremiah obeyed as he gripped the steering wheel and stepped on the accelerator, bringing them back to the Aries villa. Lelouch glanced out of the window, glaring at the stormy heavens, pondering how he would ever solve this colossal mess of a problem.

* * *

Shirley paused before the gates of the villa, her head bowed as she mulled over her mother's words. The words were oh-so-agonizing and she wished she could forget that it was ever said, but now she could not help but wonder whether Mary was right. Oh, it was unquestionable that she could ever expect things to turn out the way it did, but it was irrefutable that her father did die because she was attached to Lelouch.

The gates yawned open, giving Shirley admittance into the house which she had spent the last two months living in. She shook her head vehemently, clearing her mind of such thoughts and berating herself for even having them. Lelouch cannot be held accountable, even if he holds himself blameworthy. She trudged along the winding path to the front door, passing by several soldiers, who were stationed to keep a lookout. A young sentinel opened his mouth to ask a curious question after spotting Shirley's rather depressed state, but an older guard glared him down.

Her head still bowed, Shirley recognized that she was walking up the steps before the front door. She raised a hand in a slow, languid motion to grasp the door handle. However, she did not feel her fingers reaching the cool metal of the handle nor the smooth surface of the ivory wooden door. Instead, her palm was pressing against a heavy fabric, and she looked up, into the face of Jeremiah. The longtime bodyguard of Lelouch towered over her, his face not unkind.

"Hello, Miss Fenette," Jeremiah gave Shirley a weak smile, her hand still on his chest, which promptly slid off. She tried to return the smile, but found that she was unable to do so, and merely blinked instead. "You're drenched. Here," he tossed her a white towel, which landed on the top of her head.

"Thank you, Jeremiah," Shirley murmured as she went about drying her skin and hair. Her dark clothes were still swamped with rainwater, but she felt slightly better after toweling herself. "Where's Lulu?"

"About that…" Jeremiah said uncertainly.

"Is there something wrong?" Shirley questioned. A sense of unease permeated her heart. She had never heard Jeremiah sounding this evasive before.

The Margrave sighed and folded his arms over his chest. "He's in the parlor. But before you go to him, Miss Fenette," He held up a hand to stop Shirley from brushing past him the moment she heard his words. "There is something I need to tell you."

"What is it, Jeremiah?" Shirley turned around wearily. She did not mean to sound impolite, but she was exhausted and wanted nothing more than be next to Lelouch's side.

"I'm aware that you need him right now, but give him some time alone first. As unreasonable as that sound, he needs it. Things are not looking good, especially now that your relationship with your mother has soured-"

"How do you know that?"

"This is the third time I've been interrupted today," Jeremiah muttered under his breath, then continued in a more audible voice, looking slightly guilty. "I was there, with His Highness. We were watching from the car with the tinted windows." Shirley's eyes widened. "And as I was saying, we also recently concluded that the chances of our investigation of the Sword of Akasha yielding any results would be extremely slim at best. Imagine how he feels now. He perceives that things are coming apart, and he needs time to think."

"He's thinking of breaking up with me too, isn't he?" Shirley asked slowly, dreading the answer.

"I'm afraid he is," Jeremiah admitted. A muscle near Shirley's left eye twitched, and something within her snapped. She started giggling to herself, scarcely believing how wretched her day has become in a length of a few hours. Her father's funeral was not easy to sit through, then came her mother's furious renouncement, now this. The Margrave stared at her in mild confusion – laughing was the absolutely last thing as a reaction he had expected from her. Perhaps her emotional state was truly that unbalanced. "I fail to see what's so funny."

"Nothing's funny!" Shirley screamed hysterically, obviously upset by the situation. "After things have come to this, he's thinking of _running away_?!" She gulped heavily and wiped at her eyes. The floodgates keeping the mounting mass of frustration in her head at bay broke open. "Is he really the same man I promised to love and stay by his side, no matter how difficult it is?!"

The Margrave bridled at Shirley's words, for she might as well have called his liege a coward. He took a deep breath and reigned in his temper. She was the biggest victim of the recent events, and even he did not agree, albeit not quite openly, of Lelouch's current train of thought. "I know you're in distress, and it would be unreasonable for me to ask you to calm down," he said softly. "But I must ask you to give him more time. Facing him now would do neither of you any good. He needs maybe a couple of days to clear his head and think properly. Perhaps you should do the sa-" He never got to complete his sentence, for Shirley tearfully pushed past him and seized the door handle. She opened it forcefully and slammed it resoundingly, leaving Jeremiah staring blankly.

Shirley felt her own legs carry her towards the bedroom while a million thoughts swarmed her mind. The redhead acknowledged that she was terrified that her mother might truly not speak to her again, and at the prospect of Lelouch ending their relationship.

There was another flash of lightning, followed by an ear-splitting thunderclap. Shirley collapsed next to the bed, as another wave of anguish overcame her. She barely registered her scraped knees protesting when they collided on the carpeted ground. "What am I supposed to do, dad?" she whispered aloud. She had never felt this downhearted in her life before. "Help me…" Her voice cracked on the last word, and she broke down completely. As much as she tried to hold her tears back, they came yet again. Shirley could taste the briny liquid and she clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles turning white, sobbing until her throat felt raw. Her heart yearned for blissful oblivion to take her while she wept, alone and miserable.

It was a bad day for rain.

* * *

Author's Note: Things are looking rather gloomy here... I've lost count of how many times I made Shirley cry. I know I did make her mother look quite unbalanced, but honestly, I think she should be, given the circumstances. I would say I think it's not too unreasonable for her to snap this way. Of course, she might regret that – she did say it in an emotional moment after all, so… it's not like she has severed ties with Shirley forever.

I hope no one is looking too OOC here. I tried my best to make the two characters seem depressed and emotional without making them seem too different as well... such as triggering Lelouch's guilt complex and his 'push her away to protect her' way of thinking here. Whether the latter really happens is debatable. She won't last long outside the villa, and it would be rather awkward if they have to live under the same roof after their relationship does end.

 **And an important note for in case no one was reading the above wall of text (this concerns how regularly would this story get updates from now** **on)** :Unfortunately, I have to end the chapter with more bad news. On the eleventh of August, I would be entering **_compulsory military conscription_** (also known as National Service), which is mandatory for all Singaporean Males once they reach a certain age. The time for me to do so has come, and I don't have any say on when I would be enlisting, thus... sadly I have to put this fanfic **on hold**. I promise that I would update it as soon as possible since I would be writing whenever I have the chance to. I'll see whether I can squeeze out another chapter before I have to go to the army... Feelsbadman.


	20. Dedication

Author's Note: Anddd I'm back. It's been ages since I uploaded a chapter, I know... sadly I don't have a lot of time to think of this fanfic in the army, let alone write it. On the bright side, I still have quite a bit of time to throw in several sentences every now and then. However, the military training is going to ramp up soon, and my already pitiful amount of time to write would further decrease. Which, unfortunately, equates to one chapter being completed every 1-2 months.. if I'm lucky.

Enough about me griping about my new life as a conscripted recruit. This chapter was a huge headache for me to write. I originally intended this to be a lot more dramatic, then I realized it would make a character look extremely OOC... so in favor of keeping the characters, well, in character, I toned it down a little. Had to rewrite this a couple of times. I hope that it would be a satisfactory read nonetheless.

* * *

 **Chapter 20  
Dedication**

Shirley cupped her slender hands under the running tap, then splashed the cool water on her face in an attempt to clean herself up. She knew that she looked like an absolute mess right now – her peridot green eyes were puffy and her nose was stuffy from sobbing, her black dress was rumpled, and her bright orange locks were the very opposite of tidy. It took her a few hours to finally pick herself up from the floor when she first shut herself in the bedroom, and head to the bathroom to wash up.

The slim adolescent glanced at the mirror in front of her, scrutinizing her own reflection. She no longer looked like the jovial girl, who was exhilarated when invited by a prince, albeit not knowing his status at that time, to stay with him in Britannia for a while, due to their mutual feelings of attraction. Now stood a teenager clad in mourning clothes for her father, murdered by the said prince's enemies due to her affiliation with the royal.

To add insult to the injury, Mary had isolated herself from her daughter, and according to Jeremiah, Lelouch was thinking of ending their relationship as well. Shirley bit down on her lower lip painfully and clenched the sides of the porcelain sink. _"How could he think of leaving me alone right now after all this? This is the time I need him the most,"_ Shirley tried not to let resentment engulf her thoughts. It was obvious why Lelouch wished to break up with her. He must have felt responsible for the personal calamities she had suffered, and worried about any future tragedies which may occur to her.

Shirley, of course, understood Lelouch's concerns, but she couldn't bear the thought of losing him as well. Just the mere notion of it made her heart pang. She wouldn't know what to do, or what she'd do if that occurred. Despite her thoughts, she wondered whether her mother had a point – that she shouldn't have gone with Lelouch to Britannia, to begin with. Shirley promptly banished such ideas from her mind. She couldn't turn back now, and she did not wish to do so. If there was anything irrefutable, it was that she loved Lelouch, and would want to stay with him until the end, regardless of the cost.

A sudden, rather-distant sounding knock on the bedroom door caused Shirley to start slightly. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether she was ready to face other people yet. A part of her still wanted to shut herself in for a longer period of time. "It's me, Jeremiah," the normally gruff sounding noble called out gently. "May I enter the room, Miss Fenette?"

Shirley paused briefly, then decided that she had to come out sooner or later anyway. "Sure." She exited the bathroom as Jeremiah strode inside the bedroom. His stern gaze softened a little as he studied Shirley from head to toe.

"Are you feeling any better right now?" The Margrave asked cautiously.

"Much," Shirley nodded slowly. "Thank you for your concern, Jeremiah."

"Don't mention it," Jeremiah shrugged. "We're allies, and you mean a lot to my liege. Your well-being is connected to his, in a way."

"Speaking of Lulu, do you know where he is right now?"

"The last I heard, he was in the lounge. Why do you ask?"

"I need to speak to him. I need to know what he's thinking, and what he plans to do."

Jeremiah shifted uncomfortably. "I'm unsure whether His Highness is ready for that yet. And how about you, Miss Fenette? Have you given the situation enough thought?"

"I've reflected on it," Shirley mumbled. She cleared her throat and willed her voice to sound stronger and more confident. "Lulu can't be blamed, and shouldn't be blamed for this, even if he finds himself at fault. And I would continue staying by his side no matter how tough the going gets."

"Your mother could be next, you know," Jeremiah quietly pointed out, carefully observing Shirley for her reaction.

"I'm aware of that. Every single one of us and our relatives are possible targets," Shirley sighed. She recalled the day when she discovered her father's death through seeing his severed head in a box right before her eyes. Bile rose in her throat, and she fought to keep it down before taking a deep breath - her slim frame emanating resolve instead of despair. "Maybe I'm crazy, but I know it's a tough road lined with suffering and that only makes me want to continue. I'm not going to leave Lulu alone."

A slow, approving smile started spreading on Jeremiah's face. "I'm satisfied with your answer," the nobleman told Shirley. "Honestly, even if you wanted out, it would not be possible given the current situation. His Highness's enemies would still target you regardless of whether you're together with him or not to get under his skin. I'm certain that His Highness is aware of that as well."

"What was the point of asking me whether I wanted to remain with Lulu?" Shirley asked curiously, tilting her head at the Margrave.

"Personally, I do not agree with His Highness holding himself responsible for this fiasco. However, I feel that it's not my place to persuade him. I am his bodyguard. His guardian. Not his confidant." Jeremiah explained patiently. "You, on the hand, should be the one who convinces him otherwise. However, I had to see if you're willing to stand by him first."

"Of course I am."

"Then go find him, Miss Fenette," Jeremiah took a step back before turning on his heel and moving off. "I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor."

Shirley watched Jeremiah slowly disappear from her sight before she finally made her way towards the parlor. It was not far from the bedroom – it was merely located beside the main staircase on the ground floor, and she arrived at her destination in a less than a minute. She stared apprehensively at the shut, mahogany door and raised a lithe hand to knock. She hesitated for a moment. _"What if he doesn't respond? Or he tells me to go away?"_ She had not felt this skittish for months since she confessed her feelings to Lelouch during the spring dance, which seemed like an eternity ago.

Shirley's hand was still frozen in mid-animation before a resolute look dawned on her countenance, dispelling her previous expression of uncertainty. She had to get Lelouch to talk to her. Without further ado, she mustered her courage and quickly rapped her knuckles against the door thrice before calling out softly. "Lulu? Are you there?"

There was no immediate response, and Shirley felt slightly dispirited, but she continued waiting, refusing to let the lack of reaction quench her determination. Half a minute passed, followed by a whole one. She repeated her gesture, knocking three times on the door again. Once more, only silence greeted her actions. Despite her best attempts to remain patient, she was slowly getting restless. "Ready or not, I'm coming in," Shirley announced, a little louder this time. She turned the doorknob downwards and pushed the door open. To her surprise, the sitting room was deserted. The only sign of it being inhabited recently was a half-full bottle of wine and a shattered glass in the far corner of the room.

"Where could he have gotten to…" Shirley scratched the side of her head, eyeing the fragments of glass with trepidation, for it looked as though it was hurled forcefully at the opposite wall, for there was a dark stain of liquid on it. It was a sign that Lelouch was feeling far from calm. Instead of being deterred from seeking him, she turned on her heel and hurried away to search for the prince.

* * *

 _Some time ago…_

Lelouch gritted his teeth as he took a seat on one of the couches in the parlor. He could hear Shirley crying outside the main entrance, as the sitting room was close to it. "Nothing's funny! After things have come to this, he's thinking of _running away_?! Is he really the same man I promised to love and stay by his side, no matter how difficult it is?!" His right hand curled into a fist and he was racked with guilt by the amount of hurt he could detect in Shirley's tone.

The prince desperately wanted to call to her, to hold her in his arms and comfort her, but how could he face her again after the tragedy of her father's murder? He wasn't even sure whether to continue his relationship with her, although he knew that breaking up with her to keep her safe was no longer a realistic option. Oh, he would do it in a heartbeat if it meant that she would be spared from anymore suffering. However, such a course of action was too late to consider. The Sword of Akasha would continue to hound her just to further spite him, and even if those terrorists were vanquished, his other enemies would do the same. She was safest with him, but while he was well aware of that fact, he abhorred the idea of dragging her further into the mire, even if he had no choice but to do so.

 _"I shouldn't have gotten together with her in the first place,"_ Lelouch thought. He gripped the sides of his hair in frustration. _"I ignored what common sense dictated and gave into my emotional and selfish desires, and she paid the price for it. How could I have been so foolish?"_ His mind went into overdrive as he frantically tried to think of a solution, but after several hours, he failed to come up with any, much to his depression.

The raven-haired adolescent's eyes wandered over to the wine cabinet, which seemed to be enticing him. He slowly rose from the couch and grabbed a bottle before making his way back to the seat, poured himself a glass and downed it in a single gulp. He glanced at the bottle again and helped himself to a second glass. It was most unlike him to drown his problems in alcohol – normally he would approach them logically and effectively deal with them, but this time, he had no acceptable answer to his dilemma. He was aware that the best decision was to stay with Shirley and weather the storm as well as they could, but the thought of seeing her hurt because of her bond with him greatly distressed him.

 _"If only I could rewind time…"_ Lelouch mused. He drained his fifth glass of red wine and helped himself to his sixth. He was starting to feel slightly woozy already. He was not much of a drinker, to begin with. _"I'm so sorry, Shirley."_ He shut his eyes and resumed his struggles to come up with a way to fix their predicament.

The royal raised his cup of alcohol again when he paused, the rim of the glass hovering inches away from his mouth. It just suddenly dawned on him that Shirley was currently alone - and hurting when he was supposed to be consoling her. She was all by herself in this world after her father's passing and estrangement from her mother. _"And here you are, drinking fine wine, not lifting a finger to help her,"_ a voice in his head mocked him.

 _"It's not like I don't want to,"_ Lelouch responded angrily, although his sense of self-loathing and shame grew. He tightened his grip on the glass. _"I just have no idea what I should do now!"_

 _"You know there's only one thing you can do right now. Stay with her, and destroy those that stand in your way, such as the Sword of Akasha."_

 _"We have nothing on them. No solid trails, clues or leads."_

 _"And just because of that, you're going to give up? They killed your mother and Shirley's father and crippled Nunnally, and you're going to let that slide?"_

 _"... Of course not. They deserve to be annihilated,"_ the dark-haired prince staggered to his feet. He closed his eyes and envisioned his happy childhood with his mother, whom the Sword of Akasha killed just because of her bloodline. Nunnally, who used to be bursting full of energy, being crippled by the assassins as well. Joseph, who had nothing to do with him, save being the father of the girl he was dating, cruelly beheaded in an attack orchestrated by them.

 _"They would tell you to go on, and not give in to despair. You owe Joseph a promise to protect Shirley and ensure her happiness as well. You cannot afford to be dawdling right now. At the very least, you must eliminate the Sword of Akasha in the name of vengeance for your mother and Nunnally,"_ the voice resumed its admonishment.

 _"I... yes, you're right,"_ Lelouch agreed. His perturbation slowly faded away, and a sudden burst of clarity flooded his mind. He knew what he had to do now. _"I have to obliterate the Sword of Akasha and erase all traces of them from the ends of the earth, for the sake of my mother and Nunnally. A_ _nd as atonement for bringing Shirley into this as well. That's the only way I can make it up to her. The path will be far from easy, but I shall not shirk from it any longer!"_ The last vestiges of his previous despondency still pulled at him, urging him to continue drinking. Irked, he hurled the glass away from him, sending the fragile container tumbling through the sky before it smashed into the wall, promptly disintegrating into pieces.

Lelouch stared at the shards of what used to be a wine glass with a hardened look. He resolved to find Shirley. He may find it difficult to look at her in the eye, but he had to face her. Without any further contemplation, he seized the door handle, throwing the door open before embarking on his search for Shirley.

* * *

Rolo peered warily over the corner of the wall and heaved a small sigh of vexation when he found that the corridor was empty. He resumed his brisk walk while keeping an eye out for Shirley. He had been feeling uneasy since his master informed him that he sent the head of her father to her. The assassin felt concerned for his sole friend - an irony, as he was the one who slain and decapitated Joseph, albeit unwillingly, and he could no longer keep his mounting worry under wraps any longer. Therefore, he decided to set off to check up on her.

The brown-haired youth was well aware that he was supposed to be searching for the Damocles's key while both Shirley and Lelouch were occupied with the aftermath of Joseph's passing, but he did not care at the moment. He had already scoured the entire house multiple times over the past few days and found nothing. However, instead of reporting his findings to Schneizel, he opted to stay silent until prompted to report it. Rolo had a sinking feeling that the second prince would decide on another course of action, which would easily be much more distasteful than the last. He would rather leave the Prime Minister waiting and spend the extra time with Shirley, just to see whether she was coping with her loss well enough, as he felt dreadful for murdering her father. While he had no intention to confess his deeds to her, he wondered how would she react if she ever learned of the truth.

Lost in thought, Rolo gradually grew less aware of his surroundings. He was about to turn around a corner as he reached the end of a corridor when a blur of black and orange slammed into him painfully. There was a yelp of surprise and pain, and the servant-assassin instinctively turned his fall into a roll. He was about to adopt a combat-ready pose when he looked up and instantly recognized the individual he inadvertently crashed into. It was Shirley, still clad in her dark mourning dress. She was rubbing her right shoulder while wincing.

Rolo wasted no time in hastening towards Shirley and extended a hand to help her up. "Sorry about that. Are you alright?"

Shirley glanced upwards, only now noticing the countenance of the young male she had collided with. "Thanks, Rolo," she murmured, grasping his hand. Rolo's expression shifted oddly the moment they clasped hands, but she failed to notice it. "Have you seen Lulu?" Shirley asked abruptly as the servant quickly tugged her to her feet.

"His Highness?" Rolo was slightly surprised by the swift change in topic. "No, I haven't seen him in a while. Why?"

"Oh. Nevermind, then. I must go now," Shirley replied hurriedly and made to dash off.

"Wait!" Rolo called out, causing the redhead to pause in her tracks, with an expression of puzzlement, mixed with slight annoyance, on her face. "Why are you seeking him out so urgently?"

Shirley contemplated telling Rolo that it was nothing, and she wanted nothing more but to continue looking for Lelouch but decided against it. "I need to see him," she finally said, deciding that Rolo was trustworthy. "He has been blaming himself for my father's death, and probably my estrangement from my mother too. She's angry with me for refusing to leave him." She sighed sorrowfully and looked away from her companion. "I was told that he would be in the parlor, but all I found was a half empty bottle of wine and a broken glass. I fear that something happened to him."

Rolo frowned at the peculiarity of Shirley dashing around to look for her partner when she was the one who was bereaved. He was not aware that Shirley's mother was furious at her daughter's choices, and he found that distasteful. "Has it ever occurred to you that he might be looking for you as well? That could be the reason why you have yet to locate him. At this rate, you two might be running around in circles," he inquired. He wasn't sure that was the case, but he could hardly bother. All he hoped for at the moment was that Shirley would stay so that he could talk to her. Plus, if he joined her in her efforts to find Lelouch, his master could hear it due to the bugs placed all over the villa, and he might then doubt his loyalty again.

"Oh," Shirley blinked. She had been so quick to jump to a negative conclusion that she forgot the possibility of the prince attempting to locate her. "I guess there's a chance..." Rolo had a point. Maybe it was best if one of them remained still, otherwise they could be futilely searching for each other, when in truth they were running in circles. It would be almost comical, if not for the severity of the situation.

"Well, His Highness could use the exercise," Rolo said lamely, making a weak attempt at a joke. He was never good at making them in the first place. Shirley smiled feebly. "Could I ask you a question, Shirley?"

"Sure."

"Even now, you still wish to be with His Highness, right?" Rolo waited until Shirley nodded. "Why?" He blurted out. He felt his deeply buried sense of frustration, borne out of his lack of will to kill his only friend when the time comes, spike sharply. "In a way, it's not false that I-, I mean, the Sword of Akasha targeted your father because you were with Lelouch. Which then leads to your mother getting upset, right?" She nodded again, this time cautiously. "I don't get it. Why do you still want to be with him after this fiasco?" Rolo took a deep breath to steady himself after his outburst. _"If she actually agreed to leave the royal, perhaps I could do something to ensure her safety. Maybe I can persuade my master that she isn't a necessary target, and have him order the Sword of Akasha not to touch her."_

Shirley was startled by the vehemence apparent in Rolo's tone, and the seemingly easy question he asked. The answer was fairly obvious to her - it was because she loved Lelouch. She then recalled that Rolo was raised in an orphanage, and thus he might not be able to understand her current actions. "I know it doesn't sound logical," She began, reminding herself that she had to understand his perspective to come up with the best answer she could give. "But love is power after all."

"Love is power?" Rolo questioned blankly.

"When you love someone, that has incredible power," Shirley elaborated, her voice growing more passionate with every word. "You think about them all day long. You write poetry that rhymes, you feel that you can fly, and you would jump off a waterfall screaming his name. What you would do for that person may seem silly, but that doesn't matter because you _want_ to do it for him." She inhaled to take a deep breath, before glancing up at Rolo. "How about you, Rolo? Haven't you ever felt something like that before?"

"Err…" The assassin paused. He suddenly thought of his master. His brows knitted themselves into a befuddled frown. "So as long as you're doing something irrational for someone… that's love?"

"Well, you must be willing to do it. You wouldn't mind the cost of it to yourself."

"And if you're not, but still are doing something for someone...?"

Shirley furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, that isn't love. You shouldn't be carrying out deeds for someone unwillingly. Otherwise, you'll eventually end up being used. Like a tool."

 _"A tool,"_ Rolo's mind went back to the conversation he had with his master when he had amnesia. _"You have no choice. For all your life, you have served me as my sword. That is your purpose in life... given unto you by me."_ He was nothing but a pawn, albeit a useful one, in his master's eyes. "What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong with that?" Shirley repeated, aghast to hear such a response. "Rolo, we're human beings. All of us has the right to freedom and pursue their happiness. Being used is horribly cruel and unfair, and it deprives the person of any hope of finding contentment." She cocked her head to the side, realizing that the conversation had adopted a rather odd turn. "Are you alright, Rolo?"

"I'm fine," Rolo replied hastily. "I should be the one asking you that." He scrutinized the slim female and noticed that, despite her initial restlessness, she looked haggard and worn out. "You don't look so good."

"Me? I'll be alright," Shirley waved Rolo's comment away and eyed him with a strange look on her visage. The servant shifted awkwardly, uncomfortable under her intense gaze but trying to maintain a look of innocence. He was mentally praying for a change in topic or ending of the conversation. He doubted that Schneizel would be pleased once he heard the words he exchanged with Shirley.

Fortunately for Rolo, there was a rapidly growing sound of a set of footsteps. The noise caught the attention of the pair, and they both turned towards the source. A few seconds later, Lelouch burst into view. He was panting heavily, and his steps faltered the moment his eyes rested on Shirley. "Um, I guess I'll see you later. Bye," Rolo said hurriedly as he quickly bolted away from the scene.

Shirley barely registered Rolo retreating to leave her alone with Lelouch. The prince straightened his back, and the couple stared at each other for a long moment. Her peridot green eyes searched the depths of his amethyst orbs and a myriad of emotions reflected back at her. Determination, sorrow, frustration, guilt, anger, shame and remorse. "Lulu..." she murmured as she took several steps forward, stopping just a few feet away from him.

"Shirley..." Lelouch swallowed heavily. He averted his gaze sideways, avoiding eye contact with his girlfriend. The doleful look in her green eyes, which he was so familiar with, only served to remind him of the hurt he had inadvertently inflicted upon her. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Shirley asked. _"You have nothing to apologize for. Are you still beating yourself up about it?"_

"For avoiding you after the funeral. I should have been with you," Lelouch answered, with a note of self-reproach in his tone. "I won't leave you alone again. I have decided that we're going to stay together."

"R-really?" Shirley could scarcely believe her own ears. She began to feel buoyant, and that the weight of the world was lifted from her shoulders. "T-that's great! Thank you, Lulu." The slender girl moved forward, her arms spread to give the royal an embrace, but he backed away, much to her surprise and disappointment. "What's wrong?"

"That's not the only thing I'm seeking your forgiveness for," Lelouch muttered, still not meeting Shirley's gaze. "Other things include your father's violent passing, estrangement from your mother, and the loss your family has experienced. The trauma, anxiety, and pain you have suffered from not only that but the past attacks as well. And not telling you the potential danger of being together with me when I first invited you to come to Britannia by my side."

"Lulu, you don't have to be apologetic for that-" Shirley tried to say, but the eleventh prince was on a roll.

"I have dragged you into a hellhole, Shirley. Words cannot express how remorseful I am for doing so," Lelouch continued earnestly. "Unfortunately, I can't push you out of it. I can only make it slightly easier to live in. I have made up my mind to finally eradicate the Sword of Akasha once and for all. And that... is the only atonement I can offer you," he finished dramatically and sadly.

"Atonement? You're being absurd," Shirley shook her head adamantly. "I don't blame you for any of this, and so should you! You never intended for this to happen!"

"I should have known that something like this would occur," Lelouch insisted. "In fact, I already thought that asking you to return to Britannia was a bad idea when I first conceived of it. However, I was so enthralled by my eagerness to have you by my side and I ignored rationality dictated - and innocents paid the price for my negligence."

"There was no way you could have foreseen this! As smart as you are, you're not perfect and I don't expect you to be," Shirley countered. She was glad to hear that Lelouch had decided against ending the relationship, but she was far from satisfied with his reasons for doing so. It was apparent that he was haunted by his misplaced sense of guilt, and it may eventually consume him. "Please don't blame yourself anymore. I believe that you already tried your best to protect us. Whatever happens is out of your control."

"It could have been," Lelouch responded bitterly. "I could have saved you and your family a great deal of tragedy if I had not acted on my emotions like some idiotic prepubescent boy."

"Lulu... I know that you feel accountable for what has happened. That you have pulled me down with you, without letting me know the risks," Shirley said slowly but firmly. Her voice took on a more emotional tone. "And now, after two attacks on us and my father's death... I say that I'm aware of the danger now, and even if you had told me about the possible perils I could encounter back then when we were on the roof of Ashford Academy, I would still choose to be with you. Right now... I'm prepared for the worst, even if I lose everything." Her eyes became awash with tears again, as she pictured future tragedies. Her mother could be the next target. Lelouch could die, and she as well. However, she remained unshakeable in her resolution.

"You would?" The royal seemed rather surprised. He then snorted and shook his head. "You're being silly, Shirley."

"Maybe I am," Shirley laughed humourlessly. "But that doesn't change my feelings for you, Lulu. Nothing would change it. You're a victim as well. I won't let you go on alone." A sad smile formed on her lips. "I would walk together with you with a smile till the end, regardless how much it would end up hurting me one day."

"..." Lelouch opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. He shifted his gaze away from Shirley again, with a tormented look on his face, clearly having trouble with absolving himself of guilt.

"So don't blame yourself anymore, alright?" Shirley pleaded, sensing the conflict within Lelouch. "Like I said just now, even if I had known about the danger of going with you, I would not hesitate to go with you. Whatever happens is my choice. I'll never blame you." She slowly stepped towards him again, and this time, he did not shrink back. Shirley wrapped her arms around Lelouch's torso, and he stiffened visibly.

Silence reigned for a long moment, which only stretched on as the seconds ticked by. Lelouch let out a heavy, prolonged sigh and finally his lanky frame relaxed. He hesitated, but his reluctance eventually crumbled and he hugged Shirley back, who started crying in relief. The accumulated stress and anxiety inside her evaporated once he held her in his arms. "Why?" Lelouch asked hoarsely. "How could you still want to be with me after everything?"

"Because I love you, Lulu," Shirley whispered fervently, looking up at her lover. They stared into each other's eyes, and the couple found themselves slowly, but inexorably, inching closer towards each other. Their lips met - their minds going blank as they kissed, and they allowed themselves forget about the world around them for what felt like perpetuity to them.

* * *

 _A few days later..._

"You asked for me, Your Highness?" Jeremiah inquired as he stepped into the command center of the villa. Occupying the room was Lelouch and Shirley – the former dressed in a formal black-and-white suit, while the latter was simply clad in a blue T-shirt and shorts, with her hair tied into twin tails. Both of them were unsmiling, and there was an air of sobriety. The normally bustling room was rather quiet – the various computer screens and electronics were deactivated, which is an indication that the prince's paranoia has extended to doubting the integrity of their servers, and the silence of the room only served to fuel the tense atmosphere.

"Close the door behind you, Margrave Gottwald," Lelouch replied. "And feel free to check whether this room is truly completely free of bugs. Once done, I shall begin."

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah hastened to obey his orders. His curiosity was piqued, as this meeting was clearly meant to be a crucial one. It took the cyborg a short time to complete his task, and soon he stood attentively in front of the pair."

"I've already told Shirley this, but I have yet to get into the details," Lelouch began, sharing a glance with the female beside him. It has been three days since their reconciliation, and while there was still a slight tinge of awkwardness whenever they were together, the couple strove to proceed as normally as they could. "I would normally get Darlton in this as well, but it's best for only three of us to be here, since we were together since the very start." He paused for a while for dramatic effect before announcing. "We're going to make a move on the Sword of Akasha, Margrave Gottwald."

Jeremiah started, and his eyes widened in astonishment. "We have a lead on them?"

"No, not really," Lelouch shook his head. "What I have in mind is a rather risky plan. You might call it a gamble, but if all goes well, which I'm confident of, we'll have one high-ranking member of the Sword of Akasha in our custody."

Shirley and Jeremiah exchanged looks before reverting their sole attention on the dark-haired royal. "Go ahead, Your Highness. We're listening," Jeremiah urged, scarcely containing his eagerness. He longed to strike back at the organization which murdered Marianne and threatened his liege, and now such an opportunity had surfaced.

"We have no idea who is involved, so my plan is that we're luring them out in the open so we can capture them. And the bait is none other than ourselves."

"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Jeremiah questioned, his keenness replaced by disbelief. "Are you saying that we're going to make them attack us?"

"Correct," Lelouch saw no point in trying to mince words. "We're going to dangle ourselves as bait so that they can finally stop hiding and fight us."

"How are you doing to make them do that, Lulu?" Shirley spoke up. Both Lelouch and Jeremiah turned to look at her, and she suddenly felt uncomfortable under the gazes of the obviously much more experienced and knowledgeable prince and noble. "I mean… they haven't been attacking us directly since some time, and the last time they did, they were defeated quite handily by you."

"Miss Fenette has a point," Jeremiah acknowledged. "How exactly do you plan to tempt them, when they have been continuously thwarted by you whenever you faced them directly? Firstly, the failed assassination attempt by Mao, and secondly their unsuccessful siege of the villa."

"Not to worry. I shall tweak the conditions to make it a little more enticing for them," Lelouch smirked. "They will see us leaving the villa, without being accompanied by any other guards or military equipment. Once they notice that we're nearly defenceless, they're sure to come in an attempt to bite us."

"What?!" Jeremiah nearly shouted, completely forgetting who he was addressing in his incredulity. Shirley did not react as strongly as him, but she wore an expression of worry. "Your Highness, while I'm certain that they would take the bait, we can hardly fight back if we're that outnumbered. With all due respect... It's plain suicide!"

"Calm down, Jeremiah," Lelouch grumbled, wincing after his bodyguard raised his voice. "I know it sound foolish, but trust me. I do not have a death wish. I'll come up with something to ensure that we'll get out alive, safe and sound with all our limbs intact."

"Your Highness, I must say, although I usually trust your abilities and judgement, I am far from fond of such a dangerous maneuver-"

"We'll proceed with it," Lelouch's tone brooked no argument, silencing the protesting Margrave, leaving the noble to wonder if Lelouch could be feeling so desperate to take the Sword of Akasha out that he has resorted to precarious and excessively daring plans to achieve his goal. "I have absolute confidence that we will succeed. Any other objections?"

Jeremiah was still unconvinced and rather torn – between his sworn loyalty to Marianne's son and how ludicrous the plan sounded to him, but he did not disapprove. "None, Your Highness!"

"Shirley?" Lelouch asked softly, peering right into his girlfriend's green eyes.

For a fleeting split-second, Shirley thought she glimpsed a glimmer of what seemed like remorse in the adolescent prince's amethyst orbs as they surveyed her – perhaps a remnant of his belief that he was accountable for the tribulations she had underwent during her time with him. Shirley gave her boyfriend a heartening smile and shook her head, her twin orange tails swaying about. "I won't object. I have complete faith in you."

Lelouch returned the smile – albeit half-heartedly, then his facial muscles grew taut and his angular visage hardened. "Let's do this. It's high time we struck back at them. The beginning of the end of the Sword of Akasha begins now.

* * *

Author's Note: And that wraps it up. I initially wanted Lelouch to be much more inclined towards the idea of breaking up for the sake of drama, but then I realized that he should know it's too late. Plus he isn't a milksop anyway... thus, in favor of keeping him in character, I scrapped that idea, even if that means rewriting half of this chapter. Oh well.

Putting that aside, I hope you guys found this an enjoyable, if not, decent read. And yes, I can promise a lot more action for the next chapter, but it would take a month at least before I'm finished composing it because of my military training. I apologize for the long gap in between chapters but... it can't be helped. Let me know what you guys think anyway. Is there any noticeable change in things, for example, writing style, vocabulary, etc? I'm curious... because I haven't been writing regularly in a long time. I apologize for taking this long to come up with this chapter. Cheers!


	21. A Royal Execution

**Author's Note:** Yea. I'm still alive. Got posted to a combat support unit. I know it has been a long time since I updated his story, and I'm really sorry about that. I have to confess that I did lose some of my motivation to write ever since I got conscripted into the army. I hope to regain it now that basic military training is over, which means more free time to write.

This chapter is more action-based and deviates from all the drama and angst prevalent in the past few ones. Not a lot of lines or moments for the main characters either, because I wanted to try writing in the antagonist's point of view more. And a word of warning: it's going to get wordy since I'll be elaborating on Lelouch's plan once it's executed. Apologies if the flow seems rather clunky. I've been working on this on and off for short periods of time for the past four months or so... Nonetheless, I hope you guys enjoy the read.

* * *

 **Chapter 21  
A Royal Execution**

Carine was fuming. Tense and annoyed would definitely be an understatement of how she felt due to the lack of happenings recently. She was bored to the core. The fifth princess of Britannia hated that feeling. When she first joined the Sword of Akasha, and hereby pledging financial and military support to the terrorists, growing tired from the lack of activity was the last thing she expected. Especially when she held a key position among them, which was actually bestowed upon her due to her royal bloodline. The princess envisioned numerous bloody skirmishes with them standing triumphantly over the remains of their foes, not twiddling her thumbs in the luxurious but mundane confinements of her palace.

The only thing that even roused her attention slightly was her older sister, Third Princess Euphemia li Britannia, held a military operation involving several of her Knightmares and other armored units sweeping through the grounds around almost every royal's residences. The exercise was carried out a few days ago under the rationale of ensuring that there were no signs of terrorist activity close to any palace. It was rather unlike Euphemia to get involved in anything remotely military-related, but Carine guessed that the unrest within Britannia's highest echelons was enough to agitate even the highly pacifistic pink-haired princess. Odysseus's death had set many a noble and child of the Emperor fraught with panic.

A contingent of Knightmares had already passed by Carine's palace several times during the military drill, causing her advisors to fear that they've been suspected of conspiring with terrorists. The redhead royal was exasperated and reminded the worrywarts that they were not the only ones who had their residences checked, and soon after several days of zero happenings, everything relapsed back to quietude, much to the princess's annoyance. Her ennui grew so great that she almost hoped that Euphemia's forces stumbled upon something and she would be forced to annihilate them. She dismissed such thoughts with a snort. Euphemia was, as far as Carine knew, completely unschooled when it comes to military matters. The idea of her pink-haired sibling doing anything to endanger her was laughable.

Of course, it was not as though Carine was not treated to any action at all. The last activity she partook in was the assault on Valac Palace, the residence of her maddeningly-incapable and now thankfully dead eldest brother, Odysseus, was enjoyable to her, and she drew plenty of gratification from torturing the bitch with him. Amusing as it was to work her over, it was short-lived and that only ignited her craving for more. And without an outlet to satisfy her desires, her frustration only grew to the point that it became unbearable.

The fifth princess crossed into the dining hall for her supper, ignoring the two dutiful guards along the hallway, who saluted and greeted her formally. Her personal chef smiled at her politely and set a slice of blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream slathered in caramel syrup in front of her. It may not sound like a very befitting dish for royalty, many of whom preferred finer cuisine, but Carine didn't care. She always had a sweet tooth, and sugary meals were of course a comfort food to her. The last meal of the day had to be as sweet as possible. She let out a prolonged and grumpy groan, signaling her less-than-ideal mood to the cook, who wisely retreated from the hall.

Carine eyed what supposed to be her mouthwatering supper for a while before exhaling yet again and picking up her fork. She was about to dig in when the door slammed open with such incredible strength that its hinges nearly broke. A panting soldier, dressed in the colors of bright red and yellow, stumbled into the hall. The royal leaped to her feet, her eyes blazing with displeasure at the sudden intrusion. She opened her mouth to admonish the hapless guard when he knelt hastily and bowed his head, muttering a string of words in a rapid-fire fashion. "Apologies for disturbing you, Your Highness! However, General Bertram said that I should report this to you at once-"

"Spit it out!"

"Our lookouts have discerned movement from the Aries Villa!" The soldier visibly gulped before rattling off at once, cowed by his superior's clearly rising temper. "They claim that eleventh prince Lelouch is on the move, and he is only accompanied by Shirley Fenette and Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald!"

All annoyance at the soldier's interruption vanished when Carine heard those words. "Are you sure?" She asked eagerly, her supper lying forgotten on the dining table. "Wait- nevermind that, bring me to the command room at once!" Without a word, the princess's companion murmured assent and scampered off, with the redhead princess following closely behind.

Minutes later, Carine and her group of advisers and military officers were all gathered in the command room of her palace, surveying the various computer screens linked to their scouts and satellites. Every single individual was associated with the Sword of Akasha, willingly or otherwise. Carine coerced them to participate under the threat of death and promise of reward when she made the decision to join the terrorists a few months back.

Currently, they were monitoring the progress of a matte black sedan. The vehicle's windows were tinted, obscuring its occupants as it continued to speed along a highway. "Can we get any confirmation that my half-brother and that wretch is inside that car, General Bertram?" Carine asked, her eyes gleaming with hungry enthusiasm. All vestiges of her listlessness during the past few weeks were gone. A vehicle moving out from the villa was a normal sight, but it was definitely the first time one was doing so with rumors of Lelouch on board.

"Our men reported that they have witnessed two individuals who greatly resemble them entering the vehicle before it moved, Your Highness," a bearded, brown-haired general in his forties answered in a matter-of-fact tone. He pointed at the large screen situated in the center of the room. A picture flashed on it, depicting a lanky dark-haired male ushering a slender girl with hair the color of flames into a car.

"What the hell are those two trying to do... where are they even going?" Carine frowned. Their actions were bewildering to her. "They're moving alone and abandoning the safety of their residence."

"We have predicted their intended route according to their movements so far, Your Highness," Bertram replied, gesturing at two other men seated in front of him, who were busy typing away on the computers. They quickly brought up a diagram, which flashed on the main screen of the room. It depicted the estimated path of the sedan. "As you can see... the path they're taking doesn't really lead to any notable areas. It's far away from the city. The only places of possible interest along that route are a weapons factory, a private airfield, and a golf course."

"A weapons factory...? A private airfield..." Carine mused for a couple of seconds, then her eyes widened as a realization hit her, and the teenager snapped her fingers loudly. "They're trying to escape!"

"Escape?" Several of her advisors echoed, sharing dubious looks.

"Think about it!" The princess insisted. "It's the only explanation for their peculiar behavior! If it's a military operation, they would have brought Knightmares and much larger numbers! Knighmares are unsuitable for long-distance travel due to power limitations. Plus, they're moving out at night and with so little guards - they must be trying to avoid attention! We have exerted some pressure on them before, and a private airfield is located nearby along their charted route. All of this could only add up to one thing - they're trying to make a run for it!"

"I doubt that eleventh prince Lelouch would attempt such a thing. It's unlike his personality. He has his pride after all-" The general started, but kept his mouth shut after Carine glared at him icily. "Well, there's always a possibility..." He coughed lamely, avoiding the intense gaze of his young superior. It would not do him good to contradict the fifth princess, especially after she was absolutely certain. She seemed to take such things personally, and all of her underlings knew her punishments were often unnecessarily severe.

"I'm _so_ glad you think so, General Bertram," Carine said sarcastically. She glanced at the rest of her advisers, who merely stared at her with abated breath and apprehension-filled eyes. "Any other objections? No? Excellent. Now then, shall we proceed to exterminate them like the pests they are?"

"H-hold on a moment, Your Highness," a bespectacled male advisor stuttered as he raised his hand timidly. "Shouldn't we inform Infinity first and let him decide on a course of action? He's the master of the Sword of Akasha-"

"Screw that!" Carine snapped irritably. "That man keeps preaching about being cautious, but what have we really accomplished since he stepped out of nowhere and took control of us? Absolutely nothing at all! Zlich! If we notify him, he'll just tell us to back off again! It's obvious that my brother is trying to make a break for it, and we're not going to pass up a chance to eliminate him." A half-dreamy, half-insane expression crossed her face. "And maybe after we've shown that I am more capable than him... I can replace him as the leader of the Sword of Akasha. Once I'm in that position, becoming Empress would surely be more easily attainable as well..."

"B-but the past few times when someone tried to make a move on them against Infinity's orders, it ended in failure."

"It's going to be different this time! Ricardo's assault was thwarted because they were too well-protected. Right now they're exposed and defenseless. Guinevere could have succeeded if she made the mercenary kill them both on the spot instead of resorting to some stupid, overly elaborate tactics which fell flat on its face! It's definitely a landslide victory for us if we play the cards right!"

"W-w-with all d-due respe-"

"Silence! Enough with all this senseless bickering!" Carine snapped, a note of finality in her tone. She swept her hands around dramatically and her eyes flashed with wrath. In a blink of an eye, all intentions to protest or doubt Carine openly were snuffed out, and some of her underlings gulped in terror, recalling her previous tantrums. Her past fits were appalling, to say the least - they would be lucky to survive her outbursts without any form of physical harm. "I see absolutely no reason why we should hold back. Every second wasted here means a higher chance of them slipping through our grasp! Send out a squad of commandos to covertly assassinate them!"

"I know you believe that prince Lelouch is trying to escape, but there's also a possibility of him laying a trap for us," General Bertram spoke up calmly but firmly. "He may end up turning the tables on us, just like how he did to Guinevere's assassin. Besides, I find it odd that he would let himself get seen trying to escape. A man of his caliber should suspect that the Villa is under watch. If he truly wanted to make a run for it, he would have at least bothered to disguise himself. Therefore, I must insist that you must have some countermeasures in place. Better safe than sorry."

"Fine," Carine sighed, finally relenting to one of her advisers. "Two-thirds of our Knightmare forces shall surround the perimeter around the airfield. They shall be called upon if anything goes wrong. All it takes is a single Knightmare to blow up a plane that hasn't even taken off yet."

"Thank you, Your Highness," the general bowed stiffly. If the middle-aged officer was still dubious of Carine, he did not display it. "I shall see to the preparation of the commandos then. I assume you'll be overseeing this operation yourself?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want to miss it," the fifth princess bared her teeth in a feral grin. "I would love to personally ensure that my half-brother's grisly demise." She watched as her advisers shuffled out of the room quietly to relay her orders. She could hardly wait for the beginning of the mission.

* * *

Major Neil Nolan made a face as he moved towards his target - a small plane with the color of ivory, in the airfield. The aircraft was still and showed no sign of taking off anytime soon. His team of seven other commandos was right behind him, and like the Major, they were all clad in bulky bomb disposal suits instead of their usual battle gear. Their assault rifles were all replaced with silenced pistols, and a couple of them had breaching devices. They were gathered at the private airfield under Carine's command, and they were tasked to carry out the assassination of Lelouch vi Britannia and any of his associates present at the scene.

"That's the plane with the targets, right, Major?" one of his men whispered behind him.

"Aye, it is, Lieutenant Bradman," the leader of the commandos replied softly. "Or at least that's what we're told." All of the plane's windows are closed, and the windscreen was tinted. There was no way they could possibly affirm that Lelouch was truly located inside the craft, but Bertram, probably conveying Carine's directions, insisted that he must be inside. Regardless of whether that was fact, Neil didn't like his mission one bit at all. and if he had a choice, he would not carry it out at all, as he had little desire to be a tool to settle the squabbles between the Emperor's children. Furthermore, it stank of immorality, and he felt like it would only disservice the Britannian royalty as a whole instead. Unfortunately, he was first and foremost a professional soldier, and secondly, he swore his allegiance to Carine, albeit not quite willingly.

The Major tilted his head slightly to the left to begin speaking with his men. "Alright, gentlemen. We all know that a Britannian royal is onboard... and we have to assassinate him. Because our commander says so." The other seven elite soldiers shifted uncomfortably. Neil paused, then resumed quietly. "And I'm aware that a lot of you are far from fond with our objective." The officer understood his men well enough to know that most of them were unhappy with their assignment. Trained killers they might be, but their mission was undeniably unscrupulous.

"However, I'm certain that all of you are conscious of the fact that we're soldiers who undertook an oath to serve the fifth princess. Like it or not, it is tantamount to treason if we turn back now. I prefer not to talk about the punishment for that." All eight battle-hardened men suppressed a shudder. "All of us still have families and loved ones to go back to. It's either kill them or get executed by _her royal highness_. Hence... let's just get this over with. Good luck." Neil finished his small speech amid a hushed chorus of ayes. He returned his sight to the aircraft and recalled their plan - or rather, Carine's, for entering the vehicle.

The plan was straightforward and simple, but also dangerously close to being an unbelievably stupid one in the eyes of the Major. They were to deceive their targets that they were a bomb disposal unit - thus the awkward equipment. Firstly, a bomb threat would be passed down to the eleventh prince by the airfield's operators, who were bribed and threatened by Carine. Following that, Neil's team are to seek permission from their targets to enter the plane to 'defuse' the bomb. Their excuse would sound quite suspicious under normal circumstances, but hopefully with the operators' added assurance, it would be a lot more convincing. Once they have obtained access, they would assassinate all personnel as silently as possible. Finally, he was tasked with piloting the aircraft - the bodies of their victims still onboard, and angle the trajectory so that it would eventually crash before bailing out of it mid-flight using their parachutes. On the off-chance that the enemies had prepared an elaborate trap of sorts, threescore of Gareths was hiding in the surrounding forests and could be called upon for a counterattack.

As easy to understand as the plan was, Neil could already see a gaping flaw in it. Too much of it hinged on their foes being deceived by them, and the military officer highly doubted that they would. After all, Guinevere's minion, Mao, had attempted a similar tactic and so had Ricardo, and both ended in ultimate failure, the latter more so than the former. He would be mind-blown if they somehow allowed his team on board.

Neil had tried to highlight his uncertainties to General Bertram, and the response he had obtained was "In case they deny you entry, force your way in and kill them. Your team is equipped with breaching equipment after all." The Major then pointed out that using such methods would definitely draw attention due to the noise required and might alert their adversaries, who could send a distress signal, which then increases the chance of Carine being implicated, depending on how thorough the Emperor's investigators were. The General dismissed his concerns and firmly told him to follow his orders, and leave the rest to the princess and her advisers to handle, leaving the Major vexed and resigned.

Neil pushed the recent memory of his frustrating interaction with his superior aside and glanced at his watch. The airfield operators should have alerted Lelouch about the supposed bomb threat a few minutes ago. It was now time for the next phase. He signaled his men to make their move, and they hastened to obey. Soon, they were sprinting towards the airplane, many of them mentally cursing the heavy and awkward bomb disposal suits, which made swift movement a chore. They halted a few feet from the side of the vehicle and Neil raised his communication device, which was already on the same channel as the one their targets were using on the plane. "Aircraft RB-1117, this is Major Neil Nolan of the third Britannian Explosive Ordinance Disposal Unit. RB-1117, do you copy?"

There was a pause, and Neil waited for a response with bated breath. "This is Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald. Major Neil Nolan confirmed to be part of the third Britannian EOD unit." He fought the urge to smile in relief. So they were checking whether he was really an EOD officer. Fortunately for him, Carine had modified the database of military personnel. "I assume you people are here because of the bomb threat?"

"Roger, Margrave Gottwald."

"I have already personally searched the interior of our aircraft since the threat was made. I could assure you that I was extremely conscientious about it since eleventh prince Lelouch vi Britannia is on board."

"I mean no disrespect to you, Margrave Gottwald, but we are the experts in this field," Neil replied, a tad too quickly. "And I would strongly advise you to allow us on board to confirm that there aren't any explosive devices. The presence of His Highness Lelouch is the precise reason why we wish to be absolutely certain since we can't take any chances." The Major crossed his fingers behind his back, hoping that he did not sound too pushy, as that might raise some suspicion.

Another short pause and the commando officer received an exasperated groan in response. "Very well, Major Nolan. I shall allow you entry into our aircraft. However, please make it quick. We have urgent business to attend to elsewhere, and it is imperative that we leave as soon as possible."

"Roger that, Margrave Gottwald. We'll be as fast as we could while ensuring the safety of your craft," Neil responded. Apprehension and anticipation flooded his mind as his team watched the side door open, and a set of stairs extending to the ground. A tall, dark-green haired man with broad shoulders stood at the doorway, staring at them with an exasperated expression. He could only be Jeremiah Gottwald.

"Well? Hurry up!" Jeremiah snapped, beckoning impatiently at the eight men assembled before him. "We're due to leave in six minutes, so I expect the lot of you to be done in less than five!" Wordlessly, they scurried inside the craft immediately. The first thing Neil registered was that there was only one aisle, and his men began moving in single file. They were already aware of how they are to execute the mission - all eight of them are to move slowly down the aisle to locate Lelouch and Shirley. Once they have found them, the first four of them are to draw their silenced pistols and eliminate them, while the other four at the rear are to turn behind to engage Jeremiah, who was the most combat-experienced of the three and therefore required the highest friendlies-to-foes ratio to take down effectively.

With every step the commandos took, the atmosphere grew more strained. The pure tension in the air was palpable and Neil could imagine Jeremiah scrutinizing each of them carefully and every action they took. The Major had to constantly mentally chide himself to concentrate. He merely wanted to get this over and done with before going home - but one wrong step would ensure that he would never be able to do so. Just less than half a dozen rows of seats left to check... surely the eleventh prince and his lover were nearby...

 _"There!"_ A voice in Neil's voice shouted as he crossed the second-last row of cushioned chairs. There was a couple of people seated near the windows, and though he could only obtain the side view of them, he immediately recognized several features. The figure closer to him had dark, slightly messy hair eyes, the color of a rich amethyst and a lanky physique, while the other had bright orange hair flowing past her slim shoulders. Such physical attributes caused his team to immediately identify them as their quarries. "Fire!" The leader of the commando team found himself roaring as they drew their silenced pistols. Without further ado, they unleashed a hail of rounds on their two targets, peppering their bodies with bullet holes, reddish liquid spilling all over the place. At that moment in time, Neil felt a rush of euphoria spreading through every fiber of his body. _"We did it! The mission's a success!"_

Once the jubilation has died down, Neil realized that something was amiss. Their foes did not flinch nor did they even try to avoid their fire, impossible as it may be. Hell, they did not react in the slightest. He could vaguely hear his rearmost four men shouting for backup as they engaged Jeremiah in combat, but he ignored them, his mind still dwelling on his supposedly dead targets. The Margrave was merely a secondary objective. It was imperative that Lelouch's demise was ensured. Neil took a couple of steps forward and knelt next to the cadavers to inspect taking a closer look, Neil's eyes widened in shock. The bodies were hard to the touch - they were simply mannequins filled with crimson fluid.

"We've been fooled!" Neil cried out in dismay. He spun around to address his team - or what little remained of them anyway. Most of them were already hacked into pieces, their remains almost unidentifiable, by the rampaging Jeremiah. Neil could not help but curse his superiors. They did warn him that the Margrave possessed superior capabilities and was a formidable foe, but they failed to inform him of the noble's nigh bullet-proof body. Nevertheless, he swiftly reloaded his pistol as Jeremiah cleaved the last of Neil's teammates into twain with his sword.

Neil knew that he had already lost, for no one would be able to best Jeremiah one on one based on what he just witnessed. However, he was determined not to go down without a fight, and he began squeezing the trigger of his pistol as fast as he could. The bullets pinged off Jeremiah uselessly, and the Margrave sighed in annoyance. In a blink of an eye, the larger man closed the distance and promptly severed the pistol's barrel in a quick stroke, then slammed a fist into his midsection, sending his victim flying several feet into the air before crumpling to the floor.

Jeremiah strode forward and tore the hapless commando out of his bomb disposal suit. Neil, heavily disorientated by the heavy strike he had received, could barely feel himself being lifted from the floor and getting lifted and pinned against the wall, his opponent's fingers closed around his throat. "Who's behind this?!" Jeremiah snarled in his ear.

"F-fuck you!" Neil gasped, his fingers scraping futilely at the ones crushing his throat.

"I don't think you understand the situation here. I just single-handedly slain all seven of your comrades without breaking a sweat," Jeremiah jerked the thumb of his free hand backward at the grisly scene behind him. He glowered at the Major, doing his best to appear as intimidating as possible. "There's no way you're going to get out of this situation alive unless you answer my question honestly. Now, I ask again. Who's behind this?!"

"Even if you spare me, there's nowhere I can go back to."

"Look at who you're talking to, simpleton. I can have His Highness easily arrange false identification papers and passports for you if I just asked. That way, you can lead a new life," Jeremiah waited for a moment. "Do you have a family, Major Nolan?"

"…." The half-strangled man opened his mouth feebly, then closed it and looked away with a distressed expression.

Jeremiah took the other man's silence as consent. "We can take care of their documents too. None of you would live under the fear of repercussions. You would be given a sum of money for new housing as well."

"…I… but I can't just…."

Jeremiah sensed that he just needed to push a little more to get Neil to cooperate. "Honestly, Major, do you think whoever you're trying to cover up for is worth your life? He or she wouldn't shed a tear if you died defending them. You're supposed to serve Britannia to the best of your ability, and instead, right now you're being coerced to sow discord among the royalty by the very people you're serving."

Neil stayed silent for a while as he contemplated his options. Truth be told, there was only one for him. "Carine. Carine Ne Britannia," he whispered softly. Jeremiah's words had hit home. He should be protecting her as a soldier, but he had nothing but repugnance for her as a human being. Neil stared hard into Jeremiah's fierce orange eyes. "Good luck, Margrave Gottwald."

A look of relief and satisfaction crossed Jeremiah's features before he narrowed his eyes. "Thanks, Major. You've done the Britannian Royalty a great service." Without another word, he raised his fist and struck Neil squarely on the head, causing him to conk out on the aisle.

The cyborg glanced around the blood-splattered interior of the craft before contacting Lelouch with his communication device. "Your Highness, everything has proceeded according to plan."

"Good to hear that, Margrave Gottwald," Lelouch replied, pleased at the competency of his aide. "So who is the culprit this time?"

"Fifth Princess Carine Ne Britannia."

"…Carine, huh? Not a surprise. She has always been a violent brat," Lelouch mused. "How long do you need to take before you can join us?"

"Two minutes, Your Highness."

"I'll give you three. Lelouch vi Britannia, over and out." The call ended abruptly, much to Jeremiah's bemusement. Three minutes was more than enough for him to accomplish what was required of him before the next phase began. He was definitely thankful that Lelouch was generous, even if it is needlessly so. The Margrave turned around and heaved the unconscious man onto his shoulders, fireman's lift style, and bolted out of the plane as fast as he could. The next phase was when things get interesting after all, and he did not want to miss it.

* * *

"Your Highness, there's an incoming video call from an unknown source," the words of one of Carine's assistants brought her relentless pacing around the command center to a halt. The fifth princess of Britannia grinned merrily, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"It must be Major Neil. Answer the call, quickly!" Carine excitedly demanded as she scuttled to the front of the gigantic computer screen in the middle of the room. She had specifically told the commandos to call only when their mission was completed after all. The fact that it was from an unknown source did not discourage her in the slightest, for Neil's team were ordered to use any equipment except their own to contact her, to reduce the risks of being traced if they were caught.

The screen fizzled as Carine's men hastily obeyed her, and the princess leaned forward in anticipation. However, her eager smile was wiped off her face instantly the moment she saw that it was not the Major on the screen. It was none other than Lelouch.

"Wha-?" Carine's jaw dropped, hardly believing her eyes. She blinked twice in shock and stared at the screen with horror. It was unmistakably the eleventh Prince, unharmed and whole, garbed in a dark top and jeans. It appeared that he was still in an aircraft, judging by his surroundings. She closed her mouth and told herself not to panic. "Best act as though nothing happened until I know what's going on," she thought. "Lelouch! I wasn't expecting you. How can I help you, brother?" Carine asked politely, trying her best to put on a composed front and smile, although, internally, she was utterly flabbergasted and frantically struggling to figure out what was going on.

"Carine…" Lelouch narrowed his amethyst orbs. "Yes, I do require your assistance. There was just an assassination attempt made on me. I believe they were from the Sword of Akasha."

"Oh?" Carine's heart plummeted. That meant Neil had failed, somehow, despite all the careful preparation and planning she and her advisors did. "That's horrible. Where are you right now? Do you need an escort or-"

"No need for that, Carine. They are already taken care of, and I will soon venture to a safe place. The thing that interests me is that before my would-be killers perished," Lelouch cut her sister off with a disapproving frown. "They told me you were the one who sent them."

There was a long awkward pause. Carine mentally cursed Neil and his group of incompetent, traitorous soldiers. "That's not true! Besides, how can you trust the words of those who tried to murder you? They're trying to frame me!"

"The truth will be known. I'll notify father about this once I'm done with this call. After all, he does detest the Sword of Akasha for murdering my mother, Empress Marianne. I believe that he'll carry out a full-scale investigation, and deal with the culprits… personally," Lelouch said dramatically, permitting himself smirk in a gloating manner after witnessing her half-sister in a fluster. "Shame I wouldn't be around to witness it. My flight is about to take off. I hope I'll still get to see you well and cleared of any charges once I return to Britannia after things are a little more stable. Farewell." With those last words, the prince terminated the call, and the screen faded to black.

The room was filled with a ringing silence. Carine's many advisors, military or otherwise, turned to stare blankly at their liege. "No… This can't be happening! The plan was perfect," Carine muttered lowly in a frenzied tone. She clenched her fists and tried not to picture herself getting prosecuted by her own father.

"Your Highness…?" A slender, bespectacled male seated next to a console raised his hand timidly.

"What?! Just say it!" The red-haired royal snapped, tired of how skitterish her lackeys were acting.

"I've managed to trace the eleventh Prince's call! It appears that he is still in the airfield, but on a different plane. My best guess is that the other aircraft was a trap."

"Still in that airfield…?" Carine was astonished, then let out a cackle. "Perfect!" The situation was still salvageable. She snatched up a communication device and furiously worked to establish a connection with her forces. Fortunately for her, she did think of a contingency plan and stationed two-thirds of her Knightmares surroundings the airfield. "Knighmares are to advance and destroy every single aircraft in there!"

"Every… Single one?" General Bertram echoed disbelievingly.

"Your Highness! The vehicle is accelerating!"

"Yes! Every single damn plane better be in cinders!" The redhead royal shrieked hysterically. "I'm not going to take any more chances, lest I'll be bamboozled again!" No one moved a muscle, stunned by Carine's sudden loss of composure. "I'll take all responsibility for it. Destroy them all! Now!"

"A-aye, Your Highness!" The Knightmare team responded, slightly surprised by the extremity of their orders. The main screen flickered back to life, this time displaying the overview of the airfield and her troops. Carine watched raptly with simmering impatience as they wasted no time in charging forward and spreading out before opening fire on every aircraft they can see.

In less than a minute, all of the planes were destroyed with the overwhelming firepower of thirty Knightmares. One aircraft nearly managed to take off, but it was quickly blasted into smithereens with a hadron cannon. "All targets eliminated, Your Highness," the Knightmare team reported.

Carine allowed herself to calm down but reminded herself to be absolutely sure. "Check all of the wreckage. I want confirmation of their deaths."

"Your Highness… Quite a number of us utilized our Hadron cannons. We might not even be able to identify their remains-"

"Shut the hell up! Just do it! I want to be nothing less than completely certain that my slippery brother and his bitch are dead! Bring me proof of their demise!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Carine rolled her eyes in exasperation. Can't her soldiers just follow her orders? Didn't they swear to obey her in all things? She resumed watching the screen, ignoring the worried gazes of her companions. Out of a sudden, all of the dots on the screen, representing her Knightmare units, blinked and disappeared almost at the same time, only to be replaced by the flashing red words "Signal lost". Carine and her gaggle of advisors were agape at such an unexpected event. They merely gawked at the display, desperately hoping for a miracle which would dispel the notion that all of their thirty Knightmares were destroyed.

"Um..." The same male who notified the fifth princess of the source of Lelouch's contact raised his hand again. Everyone in the room turned to glare at him, and he cringed slightly. "I'm afraid there is more bad news. Apparently, two dozen Gareths just took off from Aries Villa just as our forces finished destroying the airfield, and they are headed here right now. They will be here in six minutes."

A deafening silence filled the command center for several long seconds. The adolescent princess was rooted to the floor in a mix of outrage for being absolutely outsmarted and fear for getting arrested. _"How on earth could we have been outmaneuvered so badly?!"_ Carine thought, fighting back tears of frustration. All her hopes and dreams of attaining glory simply vanished due to a single mistake. So much for envisioning becoming the leader of the Sword of Akasha, let alone the Empress of Britannia.

"Princess Carine, we should leave now," General Bertram cleared his throat awkwardly, unused to seeing the princess's eyes brimming with tears. He would rather see her throwing a tantrum and screaming at them, which are far more common occurrences. "There's no way we can repel twenty-four Gareths with fifteen Vincent Wards." They had sent all their Gareths to the airfield due to their superior firepower and only had Vincent Wards left as defenders.

Carine turned to fix the General with a hard stare. He had been right all along. Lelouch had laid a trap for them and she had blindly stumbled into it - and she hated it. She hated the fact that her subordinate was correct, and she was wrong. The princess wanted nothing more than to have him vanish, but she was well-aware that he had further use. "No. I'm leaving right now, but you're not, Bertram."

"I beg your pardon?"

"We need to buy some time. Choose nine out of the fifteen pilots left and make them defend this place to the very end. And you'll be staying behind to command them."

"Your Highness!"

"Obey me, Bertram!" Carine screamed, her eyes enlarged with agitation and desperation. The General instantly closed his mouth. She no longer looked like a regal princess. She seemed more like a panic-stricken girl with no idea what to do. "The other six are to follow me and the rest. We're making our way to the Sword of Akasha base!"

"But if they manage to track us, they'll find our main base of operations as well!"

"I don't give a shit! Let them follow us there for all I care! We have more troops there to defend us anyway! We can just leave again if they can't hold!" Carine raved, waving her hands about madly. "If Britannia won't have us anymore, there's always the EU or the Chinese Federation. Surely they would welcome us and our knowledge… surely… this can't be the end for us just yet… yes… that's right. " She sprinted towards the exit, with every member of the staff right at her heels, save General Bertram, who merely saluted with a fatalistic expression already painted on his aged visage. The middle-aged officer merely groaned the moment the door was shut and prepared himself for what most likely was his final battle.

* * *

"It's scary," Shirley murmured, staring at the real-time video of the ruined airfield. The mechanical wreckage of Carine's Knightmare squadron was strewn all over the place. Several minutes ago, all of them were intact and scurrying around, before a large number of hidden explosive charges were detonated, engulfing them and the entire airfield in an enormous fireball. None survived the blast.

"What is?" Lelouch inquired, seated in a simple brown chair in his bedroom. He stretched his arms upwards lazily and took a sip of coffee from a black mug. He had a smug smile playing on his lips as he observed Darlton leading the charge of twenty-four Knightmares towards Carine's palace through a series of computers on a table. Unlike the previous time he was in charge of a military operation, he decided to take command from his bedroom to minimize drawing attention from any of his staff. One may accuse him of being paranoid, but this was his best chance to finally capture a high-ranking member of the Sword of Akasha. Only he, Shirley, Jeremiah, Darlton and a small group of hand-picked knights were aware of this.

"How everything has gone just as how you planned, Lulu," Shirley answered, peeling her eyes away from the screen. Her gaze fell upon the prince. "I always knew that you were brilliant, but this is… amazing doesn't even begin to describe it!"

"You flatter me." Despite Lelouch's words, his lips quirked themselves into a self-satisfied smile. "I merely predicted their actions and acted accordingly, planning to meet their reactions in such a way to lead them to do what I exactly wanted." That was the truth. It was a trick all along.

To begin with, the reported sighting of the eleventh prince and Shirley boarding the car which traveled from the villa to the airport was not quite true - they were handpicked soldiers from Darlton's detail who were similar to the couple terms of height and build. In order for them to impersonate Lelouch and Shirley, they utilized both extensive disguise and a recently devised gadget, given to them in secret by Earl Lloyd Asplund. The device in question was a high-tech holographic mask, which enabled users to bear an appearance similar to anyone, provided that they had their faces scanned by said device. From a distance, the resemblance was nearly unquestionably flawless. Jeremiah then drove the sedan, already carrying the mannequins in the boot, to the airfield and onto the plane's cargo hold. Therefore, they laid out a trap, making it look as though they were intending to flee from Britannia, and counting on the more impulsive members of the Sword of Akasha to make their move, which would most likely be a covert assassination mission since the culprits would surely prefer not to draw any attention.

Lelouch knew that Jeremiah could handle the assassins easily, and hence tasked him with dealing with them and getting one of them to confess. After all, he was sure that quite a number of them would be distracted by the mannequins, which also donned the holographic masks so as to be remarkable splitting images of him and Shirley. Plus, if Jeremiah somehow had trouble with them, the two soldiers, who were hiding in the cargo bay, would lend him a hand. How the Margrave would get the assassins to talk was entirely up to him - the prince cared not about such a thing, he only wanted the results. Once done, Jeremiah was to broad the second airplane and set the system to automatically send a video call at a predetermined time to the culprit. Then, he was to escape from the airfield together with its staff and the two soldiers. Additionally, the operators were given a colossal sum of money to pretend to go along with any terrorist demands or bribes. After that, phase two began with the video call.

The video sent to Carine was pre-recorded, and the eleventh prince had prepared one such video for every single royal of the Britannian Imperial family, save Nunnally, Euphemia and himself. He knew that upon seeing it, Carine would fly into an incandescent rage, which would only serve to make her decision-making even more unstable, and attempt to destroy the second aircraft, believing that he is onboard. If she had Knightmares stationed around the area, they would be caught in a massive firestorm once they set off the explosives - prepared by his men covertly days ago, in the airfield. The instant they were terminated, Darlton and his knights would move out. If she did not have any secondary military forces in the area, she would dispatch her Knightmares to pursue it. They would be wasting time chasing after the empty plane, which was set to autopilot to simply fly as far away as possible from the culprit's residence. Immediately after they were twenty minutes of flight away from Carine's palace, Darlton's force would advance.

"They're moving," Shirley observed the myriad of computer screens before her. Sixteen dots, fifteen of which confirmed to be Vincent Wards, and the last one identified as a commander's model, began emerging from Carine's palace. Nine of the Knightmares went into a defensive formation near the palace while the rest started to speed away from it. The thought of them, who belong to the organization which murdered her father and caused her and her loved ones grief, successfully eluding capture made her shudder. She spun around in such haste that she nearly lost her balance and toppled over. "Lulu-!"

"Just as planned," Lelouch's grin widened. It was ridiculously easy for him to anticipate his opponent's moves. It was obvious that they would turn tail and run when they find themselves powerless. "Several of Euphie's troops are stationed near the path they're heading."

"I don't see them on the radar..."

"Because their Knightmares' systems are offline, except their comms. Once Carine's close enough, they will be notified by me," Lelouch replied, watching the progress of her traitorous half-sister, one hand tightly clenched around a communications device. "GC One-Nine, this is Lelouch vi Britannia. Target arriving at the ambush point. ETA forty seconds. Power up your machines now. I repeat, power up your machines now, over."

"Would it be enough?"

"Carine won't have much time to react. Besides... the Lancelot is coming to the scene too."

* * *

The Lancelot zipped through the sky at its maximum speed, its VARIS rifle already drawn and ready to be fired. Suzaku's face was one of utmost determination as he maneuvered the 9th Generation Knightmare towards where Carine and her group of guards were located at. Finally, they were able to secure a solid lead on the Sword of Akasha, and now it's up to him to capture the fifth princess alive. It was not just a mission of critical importance to him. He felt like it was personal - since its success would mean helping his best friend and many others around him, who suffered unjustly due to the terrorists' actions.

It only took less than five minutes for Suzaku to arrive at the scene of the battle, which was fairly obvious, given the explosions and tracers in the horizon. Four Vincent Wards, one of them a command model, was doing battle against half a dozen Gareths. As Suzaku watched, one of the Vincents was ganged up by the Gareths, repeated Hadron cannon blasts forcing it to veer wildly in the air until one such attack caught it dead center in the Knightmare's chest, blowing it into scrap.

The Honorary Britannian gritted his teeth and quickly took aim at his foes. He was already briefed by the other troops under Euphemia that the Vincent Wards were their targets. The Lancelot swooped into the battlefield and fired its VARIS rifle. The enormous green globe of destructive power flew straight at an unsuspecting enemy, incinerating his machine and its occupant.

The remaining Vincent Wards swiveled around, surprised and dismayed at the appearance of yet another enemy - this time a unique model at that. The three machines turned their backs on the Lancelot and instantly flew away, trying to get altitude. The message was clear - they abandoned all hopes of fighting the Lancelot and its allies.

"I won't let you escape!" Suzaku snarled, accelerating the Lancelot to pursue Carine and her bodyguards, opening fire with the VARIS again. The six Gareths joined him in his attempts, red and green beams of energy filling the sky. Had this been a more even battle, perhaps Carine's forces had a chance of fleeing successfully. Alas, they were outnumbered too severely and soon, two more Vincent Wards spiraled downwards in flames to join their fallen comrades below, leaving the command model by itself.

The Lancelot's superior speed easily enabled the white-and-gold Knightmare to catch up with Carine's machine. As it neared, the Vincent Ward twisted around and attempted to gun down the Lancelot with its assault rifle. Suzaku effortlessly dodged every shot without even using his shield deflectors - Carine's aim was erratic and mediocre at best. She was never a decent pilot in the first place, and her nerves clearly overwhelmed her. The ivory machine unsheathed its one of its Maser Vibrator Swords and held it with its right hand before charging in, slicing off both arms of his adversary's Knightmare swiftly.

Beyond terrified, Carine immediately activated her Knightmare's Ejection Propulsion System, praying that her enemies would never find her. Unfortunately for her, Suzaku already anticipated the move and moved close towards her side, such that when her cockpit was ejected, the Lancelot's free hand instantly shot out and seized it. "No..." Carine's shoulders sagged with disbelief before she turned frenzied once more. She slammed the consoles of her Knightmare forcefully and screamed at the top of her lungs. "Release me now! Unhand me, you cretin! I'm the fifth princess of Britannia and you best obey my orders!"

"Carine ne Britannia. You have been found guilty of conspiring with the Sword of Akasha, a terrorist organization working to undermine the Holy Britannian Empire. Your actions are tantamount to treason," Suzaku grimly informed the hysterical royal. He shook his head in incredulity. The very nerve of her to _demand_ that he let her go after her wrongdoings are exposed. "We shall see whether you'll still be a princess after all this, _Your Highness."_ He spoke the last two words not without contempt. The Lancelot shifted to face the Aries Villa, and without hesitation, it flew in that direction, its metallic hands still cradling the cockpit containing Carine, who could only tremble with dread as she awaited her judgment.

* * *

Author's Note: And that's the end of the chapter, which should be... the fifth last chapter or so for this fanfic? I suppose this sort of writing style is a little different from what I normally do - focusing more on the antagonists' point of view.

Anyway, the holographic mask used in this chapter was an idea given to me by **Sabersonic** , who reminded me that such a device was used in canon (Sayoko using it to impersonate Lelouch during R2). Do let me know what you guys think, especially about the writing style and plan. I have to say I tried my best to cover up any loopholes in Lelouch's plan, but I'd like to know if there are still any. Hope it doesn't seem too convoluted or anything. Cheers!


	22. Incandescence

Author's Note: Hello, readers. I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. And thank you for all the positive feedback and encouraging reviews for the last chapter. The reason why I took so long for this one was that I had quite a busy schedule for the past few months, and whenever I managed to catch a break, honestly I find myself being unable to write much. I often end up turning to my other hobbies instead. The cycle then repeats... and so it goes.

Anyway, enough about me griping about my life. This chapter mainly focuses on Carine's fate after her capture, plus some Lelouch/Shirley and Rolo moments. As usual, I'm a little unsure of how it went despite checking it repeatedly, so once again, do let me know what you guys think of this chapter. I hope you will enjoy reading it.

* * *

 **Chapter 22  
** **Incandescence**

The steel door to the villa's control room was slammed open as Lelouch strode inside with vigor. He paused before a slight female figure, who was seated on an iron chair. She was blindfolded with a cloth the color of ebony, her legs were tied to those of the chair and her wrists were secured to its armrests. The prince's lip curled in disgust as Carine ne Britannia, fifth princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, struggled furiously against her bonds, her dark crimson hair swinging about, and let out a crestfallen groan when her efforts proved to be futile. A small assemblage of people - consisting of Jeremiah, Shirley, and Euphemia, behind the prince peered at the apprehended teenage royal as well. Both girls insisted that they attend Carine's interrogation, and Lelouch reluctantly permitted it, although he felt that he should usher them out if things ever get violent.

"I still can't believe it," Euphemia murmured at a barely audible volume. "I mean, I know there are members of the Sword of Akasha among us royalty, but still… family members killing each other..." She shuddered slightly, although she knew such a thing would eventually occur when the competition for the imperial throne began.

"Sister Euphemia?" Carine suddenly piped up. She immediately tried her best to adopt a more attentive posture despite her restraints. "Is that you? Please tell me that it's you!"

"Yes, it's me," the older princess softly replied. Lelouch snorted and shook his head.

"There has to be some sort of mistake. I was told that I'm under arrest for conspiring against our family, but I can assure you - that's not true! Could you please release me? I would be happy to help with whatever you need from me-"

"Perfect. That would be most welcome. I would prefer not to get my hands dirty while attempting to get you to spill all of your secrets," Lelouch interrupted sardonically, causing Carine to start.

"Is that you, Lelouch? Like I said earlier, you got the wrong person! I am innocent! I have no reason to be malicious towards you-"

"Shut up," the eleventh prince ordered harshly. He glanced towards Jeremiah. "Remove her blindfold, Margrave Gottwald." The noble obeyed, striding towards Carine. In a swift, inelegant motion, he roughly tore the cloth obscuring her eyes with one hand. She blinked her cerulean eyes rapidly, adjusting to the sudden light of the chamber. "Now you shall answer my questions honestly. Firstly, who are the other members of the Sword of Akasha?"

"No idea," Carine returned with a straight face, her expression not betraying her words so far. "I can't possibly know that. Like I said, I have no relations to them whatsoever."

Lelouch let out a long, drawn-out sigh and turned to address his companions. "Euphemia. Shirley. I have to ask you two to leave before this gets unsightly." He had hoped, perhaps somewhat naively, that he would not be required to utilize violent means to question his half-sister. However, it is apparent that such a distasteful yet effective method was required to be employed.

"No." The reply of both girls was quick and in unison. They gazed at Lelouch with adamant looks on their normally-gentle faces.

"Why not?"

"She belongs to the Sword of Akasha, doesn't she? I want to hear... I need to hear from those who murdered my father myself," Shirley insisted. She briefly made eye contact with Carine, who only tilted her head at her in mild befuddlement. It rankled her - how much more did Carine wanted to keep up the pretense of being guilt-free? The evidence that she was involved with the terrorists was damning.

"I want to witness the whole thing. I need to hear about this myself as a member of the royal family. Someday in the future, I might be required to do something as harsh but necessary as what you are going to do," Euphemia added sombrely. "Even though I pray that the day would never come."

"Don't say that I didn't warn you, then." Lelouch took a deep breath. "I give you one final chance, Carine. No matter how much you claim that your hands are clean, there is no way you can weasel out of this one. The proof is nothing but concrete. I will resort to any means I deem necessary to extract the truth from you." He stepped forward towards Carine and leaned forward. "Now, I'll ask you this, amiably, for the final time. Who are the other members of the Sword of Akasha?"

Carine stared at her elder half-brother mutely. There was something about his expression - a mask of deceiving calmness, that secretly terrified her. Her half-petrified mind worked as fast as it could. She was torn between the decision of keeping her silence or spilling the beans to Lelouch. A part of her desperately wanted to believe that the Sword of Akasha would rescue her. Infinity was a master strategist, wasn't he? Surely that enigmatic man would rescue her, a top ranking member of the terrorists and a royal princess to boot-

"Time's up," the intense, cool voice of the eleventh prince brought Carine out of her frantic contemplation. Jeremiah stepped forward, his expression devoid of any emotion. She hastily opened her mouth with the intention to plead with him to wait, but she never had the chance.

A sharp pain flooded Carine's senses as the cyborg backhanded her savagely across the jaw. She barely had time to register her agony before another heavy blow was delivered to her midsection, almost causing the chair, which was bolted to the ground, to fall over. "Owww!" The princess screamed, her hands rattling desperately against their bonds, trying to shield herself from further harm.

Both Shirley and Euphemia flinched slightly at the sudden sound of palm striking flesh. The latter looked a little ill but did not avert her gaze, while the former repressed any sort of sympathy she could feel for Carine. She could not find it in herself to pity those who were so blinded by hatred that they delighted in murdering innocents.

"That was just the tip of the iceberg," Lelouch coolly informed his prisoner, who was now gasping for breath. "Well? Willing to talk yet?"

Carine wheezed and took in a gulp of air. Could trying to keep her silence ultimately turn out to be a mistake? "Give me a mome-argghh!" Her words turned into a bloodcurdling howl mid-sentence as the Margrave not even allow her to complete her sentence before he drove a slim knife through her right hand, nailing it to the armrest. "Goddamnit…" She sobbed feebly and hung her head. Tears of unbearable pain started falling from her eyes while blood began trickling down the chair's armrest.

"I do not have a moment. The luxury of time is, unfortunately, something I do not possess right now."

"I-I'm trying to make a d-decision here!" Carine cried out at her half-brother, the cause of her excruciating agony.

"There is only one decision I will allow you to make. Until then, you can dream on about getting a reprieve, you degenerate!" Amethyst orbs were alight with wrath. Euphemia stared at Lelouch, her eyes as wide as saucers. She had never witnessed him in such a towering fury before. If she was frank with herself, it was quite a frightening sight to behold.

"I…" More tears dripped from Carine's eyes and she sniffed loudly. "But I can't… no… should I…?" Her voice was tinged with uncertainty and distress. The princess was starting to sound like she was on the verge of a massive breakdown.

"There are over two hundred nonvital areas in the human body which can be lacerated, excised, burned and mutilated without placing the individual in any immediate danger of death. If need be, I will exploit each and every single one of them to its utmost at my own leisure… unless you are finally willing to divulge the information we seek?" The prince's voice was quiet, but his tone was admonitory and turned her blood into ice.

"..." Carine looked despondent and haunted, her words becoming increasingly incoherent. "I… wait, please… I'll…" Lelouch's eyes narrowed dangerously and he let out a small sigh. If he was frank with himself, he was starting to feel distasteful of the relentless brutality. However, it was imperative to intimidate Carine into revealing everything she knew, and he had to do it fast. Lelouch started raising his hand to indicate to Jeremiah to resume tormenting Carine when her head snapped upwards in a panic. "Guinevere! Guinevere de Britannia! T-the first princess!"

Lelouch's hand halted in mid-gesture, and he fought the urge to allow himself to smile triumphantly. Finally, Carine caved in, and he was surprised that that brat lasted longer than he expected. "Not unexpected. And did not I asked for the other members? Members, as in plural. Or perhaps you need another reminder?"

"D-Duke Calares. Ex-duke, I mean. Grand Duke Ricardo - no, he's dead. Earl Boris Ross, Marquess Elizabeth Taylor. Twenty-third Prince Arestor al Britannia. Viscount Laurence Griffiths." Carine began exposing the names of the nobles and royals who were affiliated with the Sword of Akasha at a rapid pace. Lelouch recognized most of them and even knew some of them as acquaintances, whom he met during his childhood.

The dark haired teen nodded slowly. The conversation was being recorded and relayed to his own troops and the Emperor. They would be ready to move out to apprehend these named individuals at a moment's notice. He waited for Carine to finish rambling and frowned. "The leader. Who's in charge?"

"About that... I-I know not his identity."

"What?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow in skeptically. "You don't even know the person who leads you? Are you telling me that you wish to resume our little game earlier?"

"N-no! It's the truth! I don't know who he is! He calls himself Infinity and took over out of a sudden! That man wears a mask and never takes it off in our presence!"

"And you nobles and royals were willing to obey a man whose face you have never seen?"

"The Sword of Akasha was defunct… None of us really knew what to do with our numbers so low and the Emperor continuously hounding us," Carine admitted. "When he came out of nowhere and somehow miraculously brought the organization back to life… well, I can only speak for myself, but I thought I should observe him for a while. Even if I don't particularly fancy his style and reasoning."

"And most likely you were keeping an eye out for any openings for you to either surpass him or usurp his position. I'm inclined to think that the rest were thinking along those lines too."

"... Yes."

"Pathetic. Nothing but a gaggle of backstabbing rogues," Lelouch commented disdainfully. "So what does he want? I doubt he merely wishes to purify the bloodlines of the Britannian nobility and royalty. Judging from how he conceals his identity even from his own men, his endgame must be something much more mature and bigger than just that."

"He… has mentioned something about a key to a superweapon. That man claims that he would be able to bring his opponents to their knees, no matter how strong they are. And that the key… might be kept hidden by you, in the Aries Villa."

"Key?" Euphemia asked blankly, but Lelouch understood with dismay. He took a sharp intake of breath upon hearing his shackled half-sister's words. If what she said was true - there was only one thing this Infinity was looking for. The key of the Damocles, and that he was suspected of securing it. A million thoughts and questions came to his already taxed mind. Who was Infinity and was he the creator of the Damocles? If he thought that the key was in the villa, would he have already infiltrated the place somehow? He shouldn't have accepted Charles's request of safeguarding that blasted key. The prince pushed all of these aside. Firstly, he had to move the location of the key as soon as possible.

"Lulu?" Lelouch started and was brought out of his ruminations. He looked up at Shirley, who was staring intently at him. "Is anything the matter?"

"Not quite." Paranoia had a firm grip on the male royal now. One cannot truly be certain that there might be bugs in place if the villa is infiltrated. He gave an apologetic look to Shirley before turning his attention to Carine. "Where are your hideouts?" Perhaps with that knowledge, his men would be able to strike at the Sword of Akasha before anything happened.

"I-I am only aware that we have three. One of them is six kilometers southwest of the imperial palace. Our main base is somewhere north of my residence… about fifteen kilometers. The last one is underground. The entrance is located in the forest east of Marquess Elizabeth's villa. These three are the only ones I know of, I swear!"

"You heard her," Lelouch spoke aloud, addressing the numerous teams of knights listening to the conversation. "You know what to do." Carine glanced around nervously. He doubted that the Sword of Akasha indeed only had three bases. Even if they did, they may have somehow placed listening devices here and would be well on their way to escape already. Lelouch made a mental note to himself to check the villa for bugs again once the interrogation was complete. In fact, he had little to ask of Carine anymore, save-

"Lulu. May I ask her something if you are already done?" Shirley asked suddenly. Lelouch nodded slowly. She turned to face Carine, who wore an expression of wariness upon seeing her steely eyes.

There was a prolonged silence, most of which was spent by the two staring at each other.

"Why?" Shirley finally asked, her voice full of bitterness. "Why did you people kill my father?"

"What?" Carine frowned. She was puzzled - Infinity never saw the need for his other underlings to know that Joseph Fenette was murdered. "What do you mean by us- killing your father?"

"Don't act oblivious!" Shirley's voice grew shrill. "Who else would do such a thing?"

"I don't know. Couldn't it be a burglar or something-"

"His head was sent to us!" Shirley clenched her fists, and sparks of anger and barely buried grief was ignited within her. There was a familiar moisture around her eyes, and she knew she was beginning to cry again. "Who else has reason to do such a deed? My family doesn't have any enemies."

"Maybe it was someone from the Sword of A-Akasha," Carine bit down hard on her lower lip, trying to distract herself, perhaps futilely, from the excruciating pain of her impaled right hand. This time, she knew she was not at fault. "Some of us do act independently from time to time…"

"Who did it?!"

"I'm telling you, I have absolutely no idea. It was just my conjecture that one of them was involved."

Shirley furrowed her eyebrows, the fingernails of her hand biting deeply into her other forearm and drawing tiny beads of blood. She was so deeply overcome by disappointment over the lack of answers that she did not register the pain and the fact that she punctured her own skin.

"Shirley," Lelouch began uneasily, sensing her dissatisfaction and sorrow. He was worried that her emotional state might collapse again.

"I know," Shirley sighed. "I just wanted to know. It doesn't change anything." She forced herself to smile at her boyfriend, who was still eyeing her with concern. "I'm fine."

Lelouch placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently as a gesture of comfort. "How about you, Euphie? Any questions to ask our _dear_ sister here?"

"N-no. Just that… oh, why, Carine? Why did you join them? They're murderers and terrorists."

"I can't explain, and you wouldn't understand if I did, Euphie," Carine grimaced. She would not expect the third princess, who always hung around Lelouch and Nunnally in the past to comprehend.

"Seems like a worm such as yourself can be right sometimes. You wouldn't understand her, Euphie. I'd advise you to not even try to." Lelouch chimed in, glaring at Carine.

"So… I've told you everything I know. Now what?" Carine asked weakly, trying not to look at the slim blade protruding from the middle of her palm.

"We wait. For the people whom you've mentioned to be apprehended." Lelouch's reply was succinct. He glanced at his watch. "We have plenty of time." Jeremiah stepped aside, leaving the four of them to stare mutely at each other for the next half an hour or so. Carine wondered what fate did her brother planned for her. Maybe, hopefully, he would set her free or at least spare her. After all, had she not been assisting them in identifying the other members of the Sword of Akasha?

"Yes. Understood, Darlton," Jeremiah murmured, utilizing the communications system built inside him. The cyborg shifted to regard his liege. "Your Highness. Darlton reports that all of the targets named by Princess Carine has been successfully captured. About five of them admitted to fraternizing with the terrorists. The rest are keeping tight-lipped about it. Additionally, all three venues pointed out as their bases have been seized."

"Any sign of that masked man she described? Their leader, someone named Infinity."

"None, Your Highness. The arrested nobles and royals are unable to give us his whereabouts."

Lelouch sighed. He was anticipating the ringleader to be snagged when he first devised this plan. Mayhaps it was too much to hope for. His amethyst orbs rested on Carine. "I suppose I should thank you at the very least for cooperating with us."

"I-I only did what was asked of me," Carine stammered. She flexed the fingers of her right hand in agitation. "So… what now? I assisted you, after all, right?"

"Yes, you did. And for that…" The startling sound of a firearm cocking filled the control room. Carine found herself staring down the barrel of a large caliber handgun. "I will release you from your pitiful existence."

"Wha-!? Wait! How could you- wasn't I helpful with your investigation?!" Carine shrieked hysterically. She fought against her bonds so furiously that she did not notice her hand starting to tear and bleed as her flesh jostled against the razor sharp blade. "You can't be serious, Lelouch!"

"Don't flatter yourself. You only helped because I made you do it. This is the end lowlifes such as you deserve. Nothing less."

"Lelouch, you… bastar-!" There was a series of deafening thunderclaps and followed by the clattering of half a dozen expended copper shells dropping on the metallic floor. Euphemia let out a muffled scream, which was easily drowned out by the gunshots. Shirley took a step back and fought the urge to throw up. Carine ceased talking, and it would be a marvel if she could utter a single sound. The entirety of her head above her lower jaw was in gory ruins, and the area behind her was splattered with not only crimson fluid but gray matter as well.

"Your Highness. Perhaps a little warning would be great next time," Jeremiah scrutinized the once-identifiable body of a sixteen-year-old Britannian princess. "There are other people watching."

Lelouch swallowed heavily and slowly lowered the magnum, his eardrums ringing from the deafening gunshots. The raging fire in his amethyst orbs started to die out. "Sorry. I got carried away." He glanced downwards at his clothes with a grimace. His white shirt was now stained with splatters of blood.

"Understandable, knowing what you had to go through because of people of her ilk."

The raven haired teen did not reply. Instead, he spun around to regard his other two companions and spoke in a low voice. "I apologize that you had to see that. It must have been jarring."

"Not at all," Shirley said faintly, although she was averting her gaze from the gruesome corpse.

Lelouch gave Shirley a knowing smile. She was not the sort who could stomach such grisly sights easily. Inadvertently, the remnants of his guilt returned to haunt him briefly, and there was another small pang of remorse, but he forcefully shoved it aside. His tactics have paid off, the terrorists were getting rounded up and their predicament could only get better. The prince glanced up at the ceiling and uttered. "After the many months of being pursued unjustly by them and the unnecessary deaths of innocents, it begins. The downfall of the Sword of Akasha. At long last…"

* * *

Six weeks later…

Gone was the scorching days of summer, which was prevalent several weeks ago. Now it was replaced with crisp, cool air, signaling the start of Autumn. Many days have passed since the fifth princess, Carine ne Britannia, was successfully arrested for under the charges of conspiring with terrorists against the royal family. Nearly every single individual named by Carine as a member of Sword of Akasha were tracked down and apprehended as well. These people were then extensively interrogated and made to give the names of the other terrorists who have yet to be identified and the locations of their bases before they were executed - and the cycle continued.

After things have calmed down, Lelouch estimated that the detained and killed terrorists made up about eighty-five percent of the Sword of Akasha's manpower. Among them were most of their major backers who provided them with military equipment and financial support. Furthermore, half a dozen of their bases were raided and destroyed, their military assets seized as well. Thus, the prince was confident that the organization, with a capable leader at its helm or otherwise, was teetering on the edge of collapse. If the imperial forces continued to keep up the pressure on them, the terrorists would soon cease to be.

With the Sword of Akasha ceasing to be an oppressive threat, the general atmosphere and mood of everyone in the villa were much more positive. The guards were less grim-faced and tense, although they still took their duties with utmost seriousness. The servants, too, were less grim-faced, as their place of work and accommodation was surely safer now. Even Shirley, who rarely smiled since her father's passing and still missed him dearly, made a near-complete return to her cheerful self. Despite that, she would never be the same as she was before then. In short, everyone was feeling considerably better and looking forward to future days. There was only one exception - Rolo.

To say that the thoughts in the young assassin's head were tumultuous would be a great understatement. Upon hearing that Carine ne Britannia was in the hands of Lelouch, he was at first shocked that a member of the Sword of Akasha was captured, then fretful that she may leak vital information. Rolo might be a mere spy, but he had the foresight that she would eventually reveal that they were after the Damocles key and swiftly removed all of the bugs he had placed in the villa to mask any attempts of infiltration.

He attempted to eavesdrop on Lelouch's interrogation of Carine, but the soldiers standing guard outside made it difficult to hear anything. The only thing he heard was a series of the all-too-familiar sounds of gunshots. Following that, he managed to get a glimpse of Lelouch exiting the room, his clothes stained with crimson fluid. With that, Rolo concluded that Carine was killed by him and that she spilled everything she knew, otherwise the prince wouldn't have gotten rid of her before then.

Currently, Rolo was pacing around the entire villa while he resolved to sort out his maelstrom of thoughts. The fact that now Lelouch obtained the information of other Sword of Akasha members and locations of their bases meant that Rolo's master, Infinity, could be in danger of being captured. If that happened, Rolo feared that Infinity may be coerced to reveal everything he knew as well, which included Rolo's mission and masquerade as a servant. And that would undoubtedly lead to his demise as well.

Rolo had considered pledging his allegiance to Lelouch and renouncing his past multiple times. However, he was uncertain about the wisdom of such a move. Didn't Lelouch ended the life of his half-sister for being associated with the Sword of Akasha? It may be a stretch to say that the eleventh prince committed sororicide, but wasn't she still part of his actual family? Rolo may not have had his family members around before, save his adoptive and abusive parents, but he always had the conception that a family should be close knit and loving towards each other. If Lelouch slew one of his flesh and blood for being a terrorist, what little hope of being pardoned would Rolo have when he was barely a friend in his eyes?

Furthermore, in the case that Rolo tried to reject his past and join Lelouch, he may have to disclose his previous involvements with the Sword of Akasha. The brown haired youth did not really care about most of his missions in the past, but there was one which bothered him deeply if he had to confess it to Lelouch. It was Joseph Fenette's murder. And if Shirley knew of that-

Rolo clenched his fist around his cell phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Shirley would no doubt despise him for killing her father. He brought the phone up to his eye level and watched the heart shaped locket attached to it swing about. The first and only person who showed him genuine kindness and goodwill would turn to hate him, and he could not begrudge her for that. Nor could he stand the thought of it. But what little choice did he have? He could only remain in Infinity's service, from whom he had not heard from in weeks and might be nabbed sooner or later, pledge allegiance to Lelouch and likely be forced to reveal his past in the process, which would more likely get himself executed, or escape to the outside world where he knows not a single soul. None of the three choices were appealing in the least, and the lack of a viable one was maddening.

"Damn it," Rolo murmured under his breath. It was just so frustrating. If only someone could give him advice… the last person who gave him some was none other than Shirley. However, he couldn't ask her for guidance in this matter for obvious reasons, which merely vexed him even more. With an exasperated growl, Rolo increased the speed of his walking. As he pondered for the umpteenth time about his situation, he found himself in the entrance leading towards the villa's gardens and paused. This was when he first contemplated killing Shirley for the sake of his mission, he recalled. Now he found it rather repulsive.

The assassin took a few steps deeper into the garden and his pinkish eyes laid themselves on a familiar, lithe figure seated atop a small hill surrounded by flowers. Rolo blinked twice and noted the individual's bright orange hair which billowed about in the strong autumn breeze. She had her back facing him and thus could not spot him at all. Behind her was another person, a tall male with smooth raven hair swept to one side, who was approaching her quietly. "It's them. Lelouch and Shirley," Rolo thought.

A burning, unending inquisitiveness took hold of Rolo and he reached towards his pocket. Within it was the eavesdropping devices with camouflaging capabilities which he once installed in the villa. Without much further thought, his hand retrieved one and activated it. He deftly configured it such that it was no longer linked to Infinity's electronic devices, but to his own cellphone instead. Rolo took careful aim - it should not be too far from them that hearing them would be a pain, nor too near that it may be noticed, then he lobbed it towards them in an overhead throw. The bug landed, with a soft thud, ten feet away from the pair, but the sound of it was easily muffled not only by the soft grass but the blowing wind as well. Temporarily, satisfied, Rolo retreated back into the hallway from where he came from. He drew his phone from his pocket, pressed it against his ear and began to listen…

* * *

Shirley gazed absent-mindedly at the setting globe of flame on the horizon, which bathed the Aries Villa with a glow the color of her hair. She was seated cross-legged on the grass-laden ground of the garden and clad in a simple, sleeveless white dress, its hem barely reaching the top of her knees. Her locks, which had finally grown back enough to somewhat resemble her previous appearance, was done up in the same style as she always had.

The barely audible sound of footsteps suddenly registered itself in Shirley's mind, and she turned her head to behold Lelouch. He wore nothing extravagant, just his usual black dark top paired with his jeans and maroon leather jacket. In Shirley's eyes, he looked nothing like a prince. There was a relaxed air around him, which reminded Shirley of his old self as Lelouch Lamperouge, skipper of classes and ace scorer of exams. He gave a small smile and simply sat next to her wordlessly.

The pair remained mum as the minutes ticked by, doing nothing but enjoying each other's presence and watching the sunset. How long did they just sat there in comfortable silence, Shirley did not know, nor she did not mind. They might have spent the entirety of whatever lasted of the day doing that until they fell asleep - that is until Lelouch decided to speak.

"You were thinking of how nice if it things remained this serene forever, were you not?" Lelouch asked confidently.

"Hmm?" Shirley blinked, not expecting the quietude to be broken in such an out-of-the-blue fashion. "Yeah. Yes, I was. How did you know, Lulu?"

"You had this wistful look in your eyes just now. I just coupled that with how well I knew you to make a logical guess."

"Is mind-reading one of your newfound powers now? You never cease to amaze," Shirley commented with a laugh. She briefly entertained the thought of challenging him, then decided to go ahead. "Alright. I ask you this. What was on my mind before that, then?"

Lelouch tilted his head and thought about it for a moment. "Seeing that you were so engrossed with looking at the horizon that you didn't notice my footsteps until the sound of them became rather obvious… You must be either reminiscing about something in the past or pondering about our future, seeing that we do not have any huge problems at the present."

"Not untrue."

The raven haired prince chuckled and laid himself down on the bed of grass. "So, tell me, Shirley. What were you thinking of?"

"I thought you were supposed to guess."

"So I did. I concluded that you were either thinking of the past or future. I can't be that precise in my speculations all the time. I'm not a mind-reader."

The slender female giggled slightly, a sound that was music to the prince's ears. He grinned sheepishly, hiding the fact that his previous words were a half truth. He did not know what Shirley was thinking of for certain, but he suspected and was afraid that it was her father, Joseph. Lelouch knew that it was unrealistic and foolish of him to expect Shirley not to brood over her deceased parent. However, he hoped she could put it behind her as soon as possible, although he sometimes wondered whether that was hypocritical of him. He was all too familiar with the pain of losing a parent, after all, and he took years to get over Marianne's equally violent passing.

"I was reminded of our times in the rooftop garden in Ashford Academy." The place was a frequent visit for Lelouch, where he spent time either idling about or reading books whenever he skived lessons. More than a few times, a slightly exasperated Shirley would meet him there after classes or sometimes in between them and tell him off for playing truant. As always, he would merely give another nonchalant shrug, and sometimes that led to banter or even romance, the latter only occurring when they started officially dating. "I miss those days, Lulu."

"So do I. Although I'm more curious as to why you're prompted to recall of them while in this garden. The differences between the one we had in school and here are enormous, don't you think?"

"In terms of size and variety, yes, but some things remain the same," Shirley gestured at the vast greenery surrounding them. "It's tranquil here. And quite idyllic… it reminds me of our carefree moments in the rooftop garden. We were so untroubled and joyful back then." Her voice suddenly adopted a more somber tone, and she sighed. "It's a pity. The scenery is ten times more beautiful than what we can get in the academy but I'll never be able to quite feel the same way here. There's something… irreplaceable at Ashford, but it's not here."

"Oh." The prince shifted around awkwardly.

Shirley's eyes widened and she hastily turned to face her boyfriend. "Oh, sorry! I didn't mean that I regretted coming here or anything like that! I was just-"

Lelouch gently placed a finger on Shirley's lip, halting her in mid-talk. "I know." Her face was flushed, and he chortled, finding how quickly she got flustered adorable. "Still, I must address your concerns. It would be an impossibility for you to feel at peace here. Too many things have happened for that, and it's a fact that the Sword of Akasha is still lurking around. Fortunately for us, it's only a matter of time before they are wiped from existence. We would be able to seek justice for your father so that he may rest in peace."

"I'm glad to hear of that," Shirley replied with a small sigh. Soon, it would be entirely up to her to put her father's death behind her. "Whats happens next after that, Lulu?"

"The moment I've ensured that the Sword of Akasha has fallen, I'll retrieve Nunnally from Area Eleven and relieve Cornelia of her duty. It's been a long time since I saw my sister in the flesh. Far too long."

"Oh, of course," Shirley smiled. "It'll be nice to see Nunna again. I do miss having her around." She fondly recalled her interactions with Lelouch's younger sister, who on more than one occasion teased her about her feelings for him. Nevertheless, while it was embarrassing back then, it also enlivened her during their student days.

"So do I. And once she's by our side again… we'll all live together. The three of us. We'll be just like a family." Lelouch watched Shirley cautiously for her reaction. No doubt that the mention of a family would remind her of her estrangement

"A family... I-" There was a sudden rush of moisture in Shirley's eyes, and she blinked rapidly. "I'd like that." Her voice was almost quivering and barely audible. "I'd like that a lot, Lulu."

"Shirley," Lelouch's voice was equally quiet as hers. "I know a lot of things have happened, especially within your family. I'm sorry about it. It must feel terribly desolate to be isolated from them like that."

"It's… manageable." That was a half-truth. Shirley still had occasional moments where she would feel miserable and become teary-eyed over what her family was reduced to. If shy was alone, she would have gone to pieces a long time ago. "We're still together at least. And that's all that matters to me right now." She extended a slender hand and grasped Lelouch's, squeezing it affectionately.

The prince smiled and returned the squeeze. "I have no intention of changing that. When I said we were going to be like a family, that was a promise." His free hand reached into the interior of his leather jacket. "And now, it's time that I make good on that promise." Lelouch got down on one knee and produced a small leather box of a dark green color.

"Lulu," Shirley stared at the box nestled in Lelouch's palm with wide, unblinking eyes. "Is that what I think-"

"Yes," Lelouch affirmed, opening the case. Inside of it was a single, shimmering diamond ring with a glittering peridot in its center. The gem was a near flawless match with the color of Shirley's eyes. "We should already be conscious of this, but I'll say it anyway. We may be young, but nevertheless, I cannot imagine who else I'd want to spend my life with."

Shirley clapped her hands to her mouth, her eyes shining with tears. Her lithe frame trembled with emotion as Lelouch continued. "However, even without the Sword of Akasha, my life would likely be fraught with danger and tragedy. You already experienced it yourself firsthand - the pain of walking the same path as me. Many things could go wrong, and we may face more loss and devastation in the future. Now that we both are freshly aware of that, I, Lelouch vi Britannia, ask you, Shirley Joseph Fenette, this. Would you be willing to marry me?"

It was a picturesque scene - the rays of the setting sun casting a warm orange glow on the couple's faces. One appeared overwhelmed with a mix of joy and shock, with tears rolling down her cheeks, while the other was an almost perfect visage of conviction and barely concealed yearning. The lack of sound, save for the greenery swaying from the autumn breeze, only added more to the sentimental moment.

Alas, Shirley was the first who broke the silence. She sniffed slightly and wiped at her eyes. "You idiot." The redhead made a sound that was in between a titter and a sob. She shifted to kneel in front of Lelouch. "I already told you back then, didn't I, Lulu?" Green eyes met amethyst ones, and the prince, already feeling tense, found himself fervently praying for her acceptance.

In truth, Lelouch more or less expected Shirley to agree to his proposal, but he wanted to hear her declaration one last time. He wanted the reassurance that she would not leave him regardless of the treacherous path he would certainly walk. "You did. But I can't help it. I want to hear you say it again."

"Honestly," Shirley laughed, a sound that was like pleasant music to Lelouch's ears. "Fine, then. I promise I'd always stay with you with a smile, no matter how much it hurts me. Therefore, yes. Of course, I'd be willing to marry you, Lulu!" With that, she burst into tears once again and threw her arms around him tightly.

Lelouch returned the hug with enthusiasm, grinning from ear to ear as he did so. He did not expect her to turn him down, but nevertheless, it felt like an unbearable weight was lifted from his shoulders. He gently parted from Shirley's embrace and with slightly trembling fingers, he held out her left hand and placed the engagement ring on her ring finger. Just as the prince did so, a single drop of moisture fell on his hand, causing him to look up at Shirley, who was still teary-eyed. "You're crying again," Lelouch quietly commented. He reached up and wiped at the tear tracks which had formed on her cheeks.

"It's your fault, Lulu. This is just so… unbelievable," Shirley murmured. She stretched out her fingers, staring at the engagement ring, obviously still awestruck. "We're really getting married. We really are… Is this really not a dream?"

"Yes. This is real," Lelouch assured her. He pinched her cheeks lightly. "I'll take care of you for the rest of your life." There was a short pause, and he looked straight into her eyes. "I love you, Shirley."

"Lulu..." Shirley struggled to find the words to convey her emotions, so overcome by them was she. Instead, she settled for leaning towards Lelouch and closed her eyes. He took the hint quickly, and he moved closer to her before kissing her deeply. She responded in kind, savoring the taste of his lips. Her hands darted upwards, clinging to the royal like a drowning man to a lifeline. The prince inhaled deeply, the fragrance of her lemon-scented hair intoxicating him, sparking his desire for more. The intensity of their passions blossomed, and it was without a doubt that this night would be a long one for them indeed.

* * *

Rolo stared at the entwined figures in the horizon with unblinking pink eyes. For reasons unbeknownst to him, the rare but not unknown feeling of wistfulness filled him. The assassin fleetingly wondered whether it was because he wanted them as a family of sorts, then grimly brushed it aside. Whatever hopes he had for that route was now more or less firmly grounded into dust.

"Ring!" The jarring sound of a phone's generic, unchanged ringtone dispelled the quietude of the night, causing Rolo to jump. He cursed under his breath, as that was his cell phone, and swiftly glanced at the couple to see if he caught their attention. Thankfully, they appeared to be too engrossed to notice his presence, despite the constant ringing noise. Rolo retreated to the inside of the villa and after making sure that he was alone, he answered the call nervously. "Hello?"

"Agent Haliburton." The emotionless voice of Schneizel reached the younger man's ears. "I'm glad to hear that you're still operational."

"What's our current situation, master? I heard that many of the Sword of Akasha are hunted down."

"Thanks to that imbecile Carine, but nevermind that. Currently, I've managed to gather all those who managed to escape from the Lelouch's grasp. I had to use one of our secret bases unknown to the terrorists, so the chances that they know of this location are slim at worst."

"I see," Rolo murmured. "So what happens next? Do we abandon this mission or-"

"Do not be so quick to assume that we're incapable of carrying on, agent," Schneizel cut off his minion coolly. He was irate that his plans were on the verge of collapsing, and the last thing he needed was the people under him to start doubting him. "First of all, I require another report from you. I need you to tell me everything that has happened since the last one."

"Umm..." Rolo did not think that it was necessary to tell his master about every single thing. The previous report was a few months ago, and there were too many things he felt was too frivolous to bring it up.

"Everything, Haliburton," Infinity's voice brooked no arguments. "Everything."

"Right…" Rolo reluctantly nodded, although of course, Schneizel could not see his actions. Without further ado, he started to fill his master in. He told him about everything that has transpired since his last report - from Shirley's breakdown after her father's death, Lelouch's previous inner conflict about keeping her by his side, to Carine's capture and apparent execution. "... and finally, Prince Lelouch just proposed to Shirley today."

There was a pause, followed by a small sigh from the prime minister of Britannia. "Did she accept?"

"Yes." The assassin wondered why his master sounded peeved after hearing this trivial tidbit of information.

"Great." Schneizel frowned heavily. Under normal circumstances, he would find it unimportant. However, now with the Sword of Akasha on its last legs and the couple they sought to kill so very badly getting happily married and thus inducting another commoner into the Britannian royalty, was like a slap in the face for the terrorists. Knowing the proud and conservative nobles and royalty under his command, without an outlet to vent their frustrations, they would most likely blame him and assume that he is ineptitude for allowing things to happen this far. And if that happened, the remaining forces under his command would only dwindle, making his dream far less likely to become a reality. "I dare hope that there has been some progress in uncovering the Damocles key?"

"No, sir," Rolo admitted. "I have yet to find any clues regarding its location."

The second prince gritted his teeth in a rare display of suppressed anger. He intended to use the Damocles to bring an end to the senseless conflict around the globe, which he often witnessed during his numerous years of serving as a politician and Prime Minister. Through his eyes, this could only be accomplished by uniting the entire world. Surely his ambition of leading it towards a utopia free from war was a noble goal. Of course, sacrifices had to be made, blood had to be shed and unsavory means taken to achieve such a grand and perfect world.

So why was it that fate appeared to do its best to deter Schneizel from his quest to make the world a better place? First of all, the Damocles key was seized by Marianne just when the superweapon was ready to deploy. Secondly, when he manipulated Victor to attack Marianne's home, they were rebuffed in the face of Jeremiah and the other royal guards. Thirdly, when he finally managed to slip a spy inside the villa, the key was nowhere to be found after months of work. And now, the Sword of Akasha, which he was hoping to manipulate successfully to aid him in his endeavor, was on the edge of teetering once more. If he had to start from scratch, it would take far too long, and there are too many unknown factors for him to be confident in going back to square one.

Of course, Schneizel never expected it to be easy, but to continuously have staggering setbacks even before the Damocles was launched was ludicrous, to say the least. In fact, he was sorely tempted to throw a tantrum in unadulterated rage. With a massive effort, he forced down these useless emotions of frustration. It would be most unbecoming for him to brood and have a fit. Action needed to be taken. "Agent Haliburton. In the light of recent events, there's only one thing left for us to do for this mission. Can I count on you to provide the support I require?"

"I suppose I can't decline anyway, can I?" Rolo thought wryly. "Yes, sir. May I know what is our next move?"

"I have decided," Schneizel's tone was cool and calculated, and his blue eyes glimmered with conviction and deadliness. His next words would chill Rolo's blood to the bone. "We would storm the Aries Villa."

* * *

Author's Note: Aaand on that note, the chapter ends. I know it may seem like a cliffhanger to some, but frankly, there's no way to squeeze the battle in here. I can only promise that the entirety of it would take place in the next chapter.

Shoutout to user **HalFF** for helping me to proofread this chapter! Your aid is greatly appreciated.

Oh, and please do let me know your thoughts. I feel that Carine's execution, the proposal, Rolo's inner thoughts and Schneizel's statement are all interesting points in this chapter. In any case, reviews are most welcome. Till next time, cheers!


	23. Bloodstained Aries

Author's Note: I'm sorry I haven't been updating this fic for a long time, despite my promises and (poorly made) estimates that it would be done a month or two ago. Truth be told, I got distracted by many things, watching anime, reading manga, video gaming, and my military duties. Additionally, I gotta admit that I experienced a lot of difficulty in writing this one. It's lengthy, bloody and angsty, plus I had to revise quite a few points so that characters don't appear too out of sorts. Fourteen thousand words... Nonetheless, I hope I would be able to make up for the long wait with a chapter which you guys would enjoy. Have fun reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 23  
** **Bloodstained Aries**

It took all of Rolo's effort to mask his troubled expression while he seemingly strolled in the corridor. He discreetly reached into a small, dark green haversack which he carried over his shoulder and retrieved a black circular device slightly smaller than his fist. He attached the said object next to the security guards' bunk, cautiously pressing a button at its side. It emitted a soft beeping noise and Rolo watched the colour of it gradually shift to match its surroundings. These bombs shared the same trait as the bugs provided to him by Infinity – they had the ability to mimic the colour of the surface they were attached to. However, their larger sizes meant that it was considerably easier to discover. Any staff with a keen eye would notice a tiny protrusion on the walls. Fortunately for Infinity, when the siege begins, the villa's defenders would be focusing on the immediate threat instead of keeping an eye out for such devices

The bombs were primed and ready to blow the moment Rolo pressed the detonator, and each of them packed a punch belying its relatively miniature size. All of them were scattered throughout multiple strategic points in the villa – next to the guards' rooms, the elevator, cameras, the armoury and more. Their placements were designed to limit the surveillance of the villa as well as to throw the imperial guards into disarray, for the assassin was supposed to lead a group of terrorists inside the villa when the time was ripe. His numerous months masquerading as a simple servant enabled him to etch the layout of the villa into to memory to the point that he was confident he knew almost every nook and cranny.

The objective of the Sword of Akasha's plan was straightforward. Infiltrate the Aries Villa, successfully capture Lelouch vi Britannia and Shirley Fenette, and withdraw quickly before their reinforcements arrive. Infinity reasoned that since Rolo's lengthy time in the imperial residence turned out to be futile, he would rather interrogate the eleventh prince himself for the knowledge of the Damocles Key's location. His lover would simply be a leverage to be used against him to ensure that Lelouch would cooperate.

Imagining Shirley in the hands of the Sword of Akasha caused him to grimace. Her previous words to him echoed in his mind once more. "Rolo, we're human beings. All of us have the right to make our own choices." She paused back then, her brows furrowing deep in thought. "Being used in such a manner is horribly cruel and unfair, and it deprives the person of any hope of finding happiness."

At first, the idea of fairness and happiness to a tool like Rolo was foreign and laughable. If he had to admit it, deep down he knew he was nothing but a chess piece in Infinity's machinations long ago, but he chose not to care - so what if he was? Pawn or not, it was his only way of living for years, and it gave him ample and nourishing food, a cosy shelter, praise and a sense of purpose. All of which was more than enough to satisfy his past self, he would never obtain them if he stayed at the orphanage. However, during his stay in the Aries Villa, he began to see things in another light. The once cold and merciless assassin had found contentment and warmth, not because he completed his assignments, but due to finding someone who genuinely cared for him.

Such enjoyable feelings, sadly, did not last for Rolo. After he regained his memories, he quickly became confused - never had he experienced genuine goodwill from someone else before. It was so incredibly alien to him that he was at an absolute loss - everything that he should be able to carry out with ease, from spying and reporting the movements of his targets, was now done with hesitancy as he constantly doubted himself.

Things only got worse and more muddled for the brown-haired youth after he killed Joseph. Shirley became so withdrawn that the servant rarely saw her while doing his rounds in the villa, but he often heard her whenever he passed her room. The sounds ranged from hysterical crying to quiet sobbing, or a silence so deafening that Rolo had an unexplainable desire to enter the bedroom to check in on her. He never did so, of course, because he did not understand the feelings he had - it seemed similar to when she fussed over his wounds. Wasn't that emotion called concern? But why should he worry about his target's well being? Wasn't it absurd and unheard of for an assassin? Rolo tried to sort out his rampant inner thoughts, but it was to no avail. The moment Infinity gave him new directions, he chose to drown out the disorderly emotions within by unquestioningly carrying out his instructions, since he was intimately familiar with his old lifestyle. There was a small voice in his head nagging at him, constantly asking him to reconsider his actions in favour of Shirley. Rolo ignored it, surely there was nothing wrong with obeying Infinity if he wasn't uncomfortable with it.

The persistent voice in his mind refused to let up, causing more of the youth's previous memories flooded his mind – Shirley leaning over him and dabbing medicine on his bruised eye while he laid down on the sand. His first birthday celebration, which led to his first ever gift – the white and gold heart-shaped locket, which he kept to this day. Rolo's pinkish eyes glazed over, a sensation of fondness and satisfaction welled up within him, but it was also tinged with melancholia and bitterness. He angrily shut out such queer emotions out, and firmly chided himself to focus on his mission. Rolo did not know how to deal with the strange sentiments his previous amnesiac personality had, but he prayed that once he executed his master's assignment, it would go away and finally leave him in peace.

* * *

Shirley's eyelids fluttered open just in time to hear a gentle thud from the direction of the bedroom door. Instinctively, her right hand darted to her side where Lelouch should be sleeping, but her fingers clung to nothing but warm bedsheets. She propped her unclothed form on the pillow and glanced at the closed door with a small sigh. "He must be making breakfast again." She mused aloud. She was grateful that her boyfriend - no, fiancé, she corrected herself, was considerate as always, but she wished she could have awakened to the sight of his face next to hers more often.

"Picky, picky," the redhead chided herself. Shirley slowly got off the bed, her feet tingling slightly when they laid themselves on the cool surface of the mahogany floor. The chilly autumn breeze against her unclothed frame caused her to shiver. She let out a small yawn as she made her way to the bathroom, intent on taking a hot shower. A strange feeling of deja vu filled her and her heart was suddenly seized by fear, making her freeze in her tracks. The tragic day when she learnt of her father's death was just like this as well. It was a seemingly tranquil morning, Lelouch having left her alone in the bedroom to fix them a morning meal, and they consummated their love the night before.

"A coincidence, don't think about it" Shirley tried to dissuade herself from dwelling on such traumatic memories. "It's so much more peaceful right now compared to last time. Keep thinking like this and you'll be as paranoid as Lulu." The last sentence was not thought without some mirth. Despite trying not to remember anything regarding her father's death, Shirley blanched as she recalled her mother's frenzied words to her in the past. She paused momentarily. "Mother... I should try to talk to her. After all... she's my only parent left..."

Obeying the sudden impulse, Shirley hastily yet gracefully pivoted on her right leg and made a beeline to the bedside table, where her pink cellphone was. She ignored her the annoyed protests of her naked body, which complained about the cold, and punched in her mother's number. It was only when she made the call when she realized that she had no idea how to start the conversation.

However, it was too late to turn back, for the call went through the moment Shirley wondered about the wisdom of trying to reconcile with his mother this early. "..." She opened her mouth awkwardly to speak but did not make a sound. Her tongue suddenly felt dry, and no words came to mind. She only felt astonished that Mary actually picked up her call, and extremely awkward now that neither of them seemed to be able to say anything. The orange-haired teen mentally kicked herself into action despite her own rising discomfort and finally broke the strained silence. "Mom? Mom... are you there?"

"...Yes." Shirley suppressed a sob as tears welled up in her eyes, after hearing her mother's curt response. She had not heard her voice for months. "I'm here, Shirley."

"Oh, mom... I don't know where to start... how are you? Are you doing well?" Shirley winced as she asked the last question. "What was I thinking? Dad passed away not too long ago."

"As well as I could be." There was a short pause. "How about you, Shirley?"

"I'm fine. I'm more worried about you, mom. Are you living alone?"

"Yes. I sold our old house away and moved to an apartment. Your aunts come to visit often, though." Another pause. "And you? Still living with that prince fellow, I assume?"

"Mmhmm, yeah, I'm still with him," Shirley affirmed nervously. She half-expected her mother to explode and start ranting furiously, but nothing was heard from her. "I'm sorry, mom, but despite everything that has occurred, I love him. And..." She inhaled deeply. "We're getting married."

"I see." Her mother replied slowly. Shirley crossed her fingers, praying for the civility and serenity of the conversation to continue. "Well, congratulations, Shirley-"

"Thanks, mom!" Shirley's lips curved themselves into a wide, uncontainable grin. "And um-"

"But I hope you know what you're getting into, and why I didn't approve of it in the first place. It's dangerous, and God forbid, I fear what happened to your father will befall you as well," Mary admonished her only child. She thought of apologising to Shirley about her outburst for wanting to disown her during the funeral, then decided not to bring it up. Her tone softened slightly. "However, if you insist on going through with the marriage... please send me an invitation. I can't possibly miss my own daughter's wedding... regardless of whatever misgivings I may have."

"Mom..." Shirley struggled not to cry. It felt like the wall built up between her and her mother after her father's death had finally crumbled. The estrangement, while she tried not to show it, had hurt her emotionally and to bridge the gap was an enormous relief. "Thank-" The slender girl was interrupted once more, this time not by Mary, but by the piercing shrieking of warning sirens.

"Shirley? What was that?" A disconcerted Mary inquired. Shirley blinked in bewilderment and trepidation, having recognized the disruptive noise as a warning alarm.

Shirley froze as the announcement blared the following words. "Alert! Unidentified and possibly hostile forces are heading directly towards the Aries Villa. All security elements and soldiers man your battle stations. All non-combat staff are to seek refuge in the bunker immediately!"

"We're under attack? Now?" Shirley whispered aloud in disbelief. An intense, cold sensation of dread spread through her body, and her cell phone dropped to the mahogany floor with a loud clatter from her suddenly numb fingers. Despite her fervent prayers, the wailing of the alarms refused to cease.

"I repeat, there is an unidentified and possibly hostile force are heading directly towards the Aries Villa. All security elements and soldiers to battle stations. All non-combat staff are to seek refuge in the bunker immediately!"

"What?! Shirley, get out of there now!" Her mother grew hysterical and started screaming over the phone. Unbeknownst to her, Shirley was no longer listening as panic was threatening to engulf her.

"I thought the Sword of Akasha was crippled. Who's attacking us now?!" The redhead thought in consternation. She took a deep breath to calm her overwrought self, then she flew across the room. Shirley threw on a set of underwear and the nearest bunch of clothing she could find - a sleeveless pink blouse and a white bandage skirt. Her sprinting legs carried her to the drawer next to the bed, and she wasted no time in retrieving a pistol along with two magazines. Shirley stared at the firearm in her uncontrollably shaking fingers for a split second. She hoped that things would not get to the point that she needed to use it before bolting out of the room, desperately trying to make her way to Lelouch.

* * *

Amethyst orbs scrutinized the wide monitor screen in the middle of the control room, which displayed a small but not insignificant number of Knightmares flying towards the Aries Villa. Lelouch was not surprised, but still dismayed nonetheless, to see that the enemy forces consisted of mainly Gareths - the same model his own soldiers are using. That meant that whatever technological edge they had in previous encounters has more or less vanished.

"Your Highness, we eagerly await your orders." Lelouch turned around to glance at his men. All of them had looks of absolute confidence and sobriety on their faces. "We will defeat them again with your guidance."

"Very well. Send a distress signal to both the Emperor and Third Princess Euphemia. Dispatch a warning to the unidentified group." The prince instructed. He wouldn't be able to trust whatever reinforcements which came from any other than the two, although troops coming from the former may still be suspect. "Activate all anti-aircraft turrets and howitzers. Darlton, are your Knights all in position?"

"Give us the word, Your Highness," Darlton replied over the communication channel, smirking slightly. He had already was seated in the cockpit of his Gareth. "We shall teach these fools the folly of trying to attack your home a second time."

"Just a moment." Lelouch paused. His eyes narrowed at the screen, noting that despite the rather undersized enemy force - barely above two dozen Knightmares, they were hurtling towards his location at full speed without maintaining any semblance of a formation. "Either they're up to something, or this is nothing but a desperate, last-ditch attempt to off me. Seeing how tenuous his control this Infinity person has over his troops and their sloppy performance during our last encounters, it's much more likely that it is the latter instead of the former," he mused aloud. His own troops slightly outnumbered them, and combined with his other defences such as turrets, a head-on attack by them would only lead to a crystal-clear outcome. It would only be a matter of time before the Sword of Akasha was wiped out.

"Darlton. We'll use similar tactics as before. Your troops will rise above the enemy forces and spread out before engaging them in a semi-circular formation. Try to force them to group up, which makes them easier pickings for the anti-aircraft turrets. Now, move out!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" With that, all thirty-two Gareths of Lelouch's defence forces launched out of the hangars behind the villa into the open sky, and they began to ascend rapidly to gain altitude before turning to face the nearing hostile forces. "Take note, boys, the enemy not only has the same models as us, they have the same paint job," Darlton addressed his own subordinates. "So don't be an idiot and accidentally blast one of our own. It's going to be chaotic, but we have an IFF system for that sort of thing."

"Aye, General."

Back in the control room, Lelouch continued to watch the encroaching forces. Now that they were closer, he could count them properly - and his estimate was right, there were only eighteen Gareth models. They were still outnumbered. "Did they have any response to our warning messages?"

"No, Your Highness. We sent it to them thrice, to no reply."

"From now on, we shall regard them as hostile. It's likely that they're from the Sword of Akasha. Darlton, order your Knights to spread out and assume a semi-circular formation. Has there been any word from the Emperor or the Third Princess?"

"None from Her Highness, but His Majesty did give us a notification that he would be sending reinforcements shortly…" One of the operators responded. He then glanced at the radar displayed on his screen again. "Speaking of which, there are three Knightmare models coming from the direction of the imperial palace, Your Highness."

"Three? His Majesty must be feeling rather stingy today," Lelouch furrowed his brows. Even during critical events such as this, he could not help but be snide when talking about his father. "Could you identify them?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Two Gareths… and leading them is the Percival!" The operator's tone grew excited.

"The Percival?!" The dark-haired adolescent leaned forward in amazement. The Percival was a personalized Knightmare frame belonging to Luciano Bradley, who held the title of the Knight of Ten. That meant that one of the foremost elite unit of the Britannian forces, the Knights of the Round Table, is going to be involved in the coming battle. Most men would be elated over the news of one of the Knights of the Round would be assisting them, but Lelouch was far from most men. In fact, his expression darkened, his enthusiasm morphing into suspicion. "Percival, piloted by Luciano Bradley… Do not mark that group as friendly! Consider them potential adversaries until I say otherwise!"

"Your Highness?"

"It's too strange," Lelouch murmured. Luciano Bradley may be one of the most elite Knightmare pilots, but he also carried the reputation of being extremely bloodthirsty, aggressive and sadistic, resulting in his behaviour earning him the title "Vampire of Britannia". Which made him a more than viable candidate for a servant of the elitist terrorist group. "If the Emperor really hated the Sword of Akasha as he should, he wouldn't just send three units…!"

"The battle has begun, Your Highness! The unidentified Gareths opened fire on General Darlton!" Lelouch took a quick glance at the monitor before he was forced to concentrate on what to do with the Percival. The Knight of Ten would arrive in the battlefield in less than two minutes. At least, from what little he glimpsed, they were winning the battle.

"Divert the three easternmost anti-aircraft turrets away from the fight. Lock on to the Percival, but do not fire until it reacts." The prince watched steadily as the turrets shifted their barrels away from the ongoing battle before locking on to the Percival. His worst fears were realized when the moment the Percival received notification that it was being targeted, the Knightmare simply utilized its hip-mounted Hadron cannons to fire three quick beams of crimson energy. The stationary turrets were of course, nothing but sitting ducks, and they were promptly reduced to shards of flaming metal.

"We've lost Turret A2, A4 and B4, Your Highness!"

"Shit!" Lelouch swore under his breath. He glared at the source of his frustration as it flew straight at Darlton's troops. If Luciano and the other two Gareths came after the Emperor promising to send reinforcements, it only could mean two things. It was either he was a liar or that Infinity had done something in the Royal Palace. If it was the latter, then Infinity must have anticipated his call for reinforcements and answered it before Charles got to it. This attack did not have the makings of a usual Sword of Akasha attack - it was too well-coordinated and planned, lacking the typical brazenness and simplicity of their previous attempts. He crossed his fingers while he watched the battle unfold before his eyes for a few seconds. He just hoped that Darlton would be able to hold Bradley back until reinforcements came. "Still no word from Princess Euphemia?"

"None, Your Highness. Shall we call for reinforcements from them again?"

"Don't bother. The enemy has probably jammed our comms," Lelouch gritted his teeth in frustration. This was no last-resort attack by the enemy. It must have been orchestrated by someone with a sound tactical mind and part of the royal family to boot since the individual had to be aware of the frequencies both Euphemia and Charles were operating on to jam them. He was starting to have an extremely unpleasant feeling about the situation - their adversaries possessed greater piloting skill than his troops, they appeared to be collaborating much better than before and he lost all contact with his allies.

"Lulu!" Lelouch blinked in startlement. He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he failed to hear the door slide open. Shirley stood in the doorway, holding the side of the doorway for support and gasping for air - evidently, she had sprinted on her way to the control room. "What's going on?"

The prince's expression of surprise slipped away, to be replaced by one of severeness. "Shirley, you shouldn't be here. I need you to evacuate as soon as possible."

"Why?" Now it was Shirley's turn to be surprised. "You allowed me to be here the last time we were under atta-"

"That's different," Lelouch interrupted calmly but firmly. "I was supremely confident that victory was certain for us the previous time. However, I cannot promise you the same for the outcome of today's battle. I might lose this time."

"All the more I want to stay with you!"

"I cannot permit it."

"But-!"

"I'm sorry, Shirley, but I cannot afford to be distracted. Utmost concentration is vital for this," Lelouch turned away to face the screen again. It would be harder for him to be unyielding if he looked at her. "I wouldn't be able to focus if I'm constantly worried about your well-being."

Emotions flitted across Shirley's face - disappointment, exasperation and determination. She started to take a step forward and her fiance sighed heavily. "Jeremiah, please show her the way to the bunker and the secret escape route." The hulking cyborg stepped out from the corner of the room. "Once you're done, return here. I may need you to deploy in a spare Knightmare."

"Lulu!" Shirley protested.

"Come on, Miss Fenette," Jeremiah requested as he tugged gently on her arm. Shirley did not respond and continued staring at Lelouch's back incredulously. "I understand how you feel, but what His Highness says isn't wrong.. A strategist like him requires him to make decisions based on logic, not sentiment. He can't afford to be concerned about you right now, as cold as that sounds."

Shirley hesitated before she nodded slowly. With a final and wordless glance at her lover, she tore her eyes away from him and sighed, shifting to face Jeremiah. The Margrave gave her a small, reassuring smile as he began escorting her out of the control room.

* * *

"Alright! As long as we keep this up and we'll eventually win!" Darlton barked words of encouragement to his soldiers. Another enemy Gareth went spiralling to the earth before it detonated into smithereens, its remains scattered over the grounds of the villa. He would hate to be part of the crew who had to clean up the grounds later. So far, they have already destroyed three enemy units without losing a single one of their own. He had to admit that they were relatively much more skilled than before. Additionally, although they were the ones who instigated the fight, they were often on the defensive and evasive - almost as though they didn't want to fight. It was mystifying.

"Darlton!" Lelouch's voice blared through the communication channel, and Darlton winced. His eardrums throbbed from the sheer volume of Lelouch's yelling.

"What is it, Your Highness?"

"The Percival is here, and it's siding with the enemy. Be careful! It already destroyed three of our turrets!"

"Come again?" Darlton furrowed his eyebrows, perplexed. A Knight of Round in the mainland instead of being on the frontlines of Britannia's conquest, and as an accomplice with the Sword of Akasha to boot? He risked glancing away from the raging dogfight and spotted the Knightmare in question almost instantly. The purple and white Knightmare, soared towards them, poised to strike with its quad claw in its right arm. The Percival plunged into the chaos of the melee like a hurricane. Its quad claw and slash harkens lashed out at lightning speed, tearing three of the defenders' Knightmares apart in a heartbeat.

"Bastard!" Darlton roared in horror and anger at seeing his men so easily defeated. Even as the word left his mouth, the Percival fired its missiles, which collided head-on with two more of the defenders. Either they were too slow or too nonplussed by the sight of the Percival, and they failed to evade the incoming projectiles. Both Gareths took the missiles head-on, and lost their heads, leading them to spiral down to the ground thousands of feet a moment, it felt as though every participant in the battlefield had paused, with all eyes on the Percival, which hovered in the sky idly, its armour shining resplendently in the mid-morning sun. In less than twenty seconds, it alone accomplished the elimination of approximately fifteen percent of Darlton's knights.

"Sir Bradley… is that you?" The scarred General narrowed his eyes before he asked, establishing a communication channel with the Percival.

"Oh, hello, General Darlton. Princess Cornelia's number two dog," Luciano greeted disparagingly. He made the Percival wave mockingly. "Shocking! To think that you're so far away from Her Highness's heel. What are you doing here anyway? Or are you simply too old for Cornelia's tastes nowadays?"

Darlton did not rise to Luciano's bait. "Why do you serve the Sword of Akasha now? They are working against the Britannian Royal Family, and thus they should be your enemy as a Knight of the Round Table!"

"Are you an ignorant idiot, Darlton? The person behind the Sword of Akasha is part of the Royal Family! Thus, I'm technically still serving them by fighting you, you know?. So when there's a conflict between members of royalty..." The Percival reconfigured its quad claw, splitting the four blades evenly along its right wrist before all of them began spinning rapidly to form a drill. "I'll simply choose the side which is more fun for me!"

Darlton wasted no more time on exchanging words, and quickly targeted the Percival, firing his Gareth's hadron cannon at it. However, the unique Knightmare frame was able to dodge the reddish energy beam with ease by shifting to the side. The movement almost seemed lazy. "You might want to try again, you old fart! Although I wonder about your choice to provoke me. My Knightmare can run circles around yours, and let's not bring piloting ability into this."

"Even so…" The General growled and unleashed a plethora of missiles, hadron cannon blasts and machine gun fire at the Percival. Once more, none of Darlton's attacks hit its target. "I'm the only one who can hold you back. The rest of you!" He addressed his remaining twenty-four knights. "Take care of all these small fries!" He knew that he had little hope in besting a Knight of the Round Table, but if the Percival was allowed to run rampant, they would be lucky if they lasted longer than three minutes. He had to hold him at bay and hope that his men could eliminate the rest of the enemies before all of them can gang up on Luciano. "Don't even think of helping me out on this one until every other enemy is dead! That's an order!"

"Hmph, you must have a death wish!" Luciano snorted with glee. "However, it'll be amusing to be able to see you squirm! I hope you can at least put up an entertaining fight! Come at me!"

* * *

The control's room door slid open again, announcing the return of Jeremiah. He strode back to Lelouch's side, who was engrossed with managing the battle. "How's the situation, Your Highness?"

"Terrible. We just lost eight of our own, five to the Percival. General Darlton is now engaging Luciano in single combat," Lelouch replied grimly, still examining the screen as the battle unfolded before him.

"Is Shirley safe?"

"She's in the bunker right now, and I've already shown her the escape route."

"Thank you, Margrave Gottwald."

"Please allow me to deploy, Your Highness. I assure you, my skill in Knightmare combat would not disappoint you."

Lelouch mulled over his bodyguard's request, then shook his head. "I need you here, Jeremiah. Just in case there's a secondary group of terrorists infiltrating the villa. I wouldn't put it past them to attempt cutting off the head of the snake."

"As you wish, Your Highness."

"...I'm a jerk, aren't I, Margrave Gottwald?"

Jeremiah cocked his head at Lelouch in surprise, then it dawned on him that the royal was not referring to his decision to make the Margrave stay. "Are you referring to your conversation with Miss Fenette earlier?" His liege did not reply, instead, he scowled silently at the screen, observing the Percival lazily flying around Darlton's Gareth. The cyborg took silence as consent. "You should be focusing on the fight, Your Highness. Besides, I'm sure she understands how you feel."

Lelouch shook his head, then let out a chuckle. "You're right. All forces except General Darlton split up into groups of four! Every group is to focus fire on an enemy unit." The raven-haired prince turned towards the operators. "Segregate the remaining turrets into groups as well. Use them to provide suppressing fire to keep the rest of the enemies away when the Knightmares are ganging up on an enemy unit." He required his troops to swiftly whittle away at the enemy forces. Darlton would not last long against a Knight of the Round Table, and right now with his current assets, the only way they could defeat the Percival is by using sheer numbers.

* * *

Rolo ducked instinctively as another Gareth crashed into the ground before erupting in an enormous fireball. The platoon of Sword of Akasha terrorists, which numbered slightly over twoscore, mirrored his movements. He wondered whether Infinity took the risk of him and the platoon being flattened by a falling Knightmare into account as they hastily but cautiously made their way towards the Aries Villa.

"How much longer?" The leader of the platoon asked Rolo impatiently. "We've been walking the grounds for almost twenty minutes!"

"It's just right up ahead. You can see it for yourself," Rolo answered with a hint of irritation. He raised a gloved finger and pointed towards their destination. He was unable to pinpoint a reason for his annoyance with his comrades, but he didn't care anyway.

"Right. I'll trust your word." The older man huffed and beckoned his men behind him to follow. All of them were dressed in a combat armour, its colour a purple so dark that it almost looked black. It would normally be the ideal garb to wear when infiltrating an enemy base at night, but in the bright of day, all it did was make them stand out like sore thumbs. It was all Rolo could do to stop himself from mentally writing them off as a group of imbeciles. However, Infinity assured him that regardless of what the assassin thought of them, they were not useless fanatics, unlike a good chunk of the Sword of Akasha.

The reason why they were taking so long to reach the Aries Villa after entering its grounds was that of a massive black box, which took six of them to carry. It was roughly the size of a single bed but weighed close to a hundred kilograms. Inside it was the latest and most experimental of Infinity's devices - an electromagnetic pulse bomb. The bomb itself, however, was neither nuclear nor sakuradite based, thus its effective radius was nothing more than a measly two-kilometre radius. It would have been a far more respectable area of effect if it was explosive, but for an armament targeting units in aerial combat, it was not exactly ideal. Once more, Rolo just had to trust in his master's plan.

"Halt!" The platoon leader brought up a hand as they reached two hundred metres away from the villa's main entrance. They were still partly hidden by a cluster of trees - any closer and they would be too visible to anyone keeping watch in the house. He began using a pair of binoculars to check whether any of Lelouch's guards remained via the window. "There's a pair of hostiles behind the door, standing near a staircase. They're armed with rifles."

"Fine. I'll go ahead and take out those two. Do not move into the villa until I give the signal." Without waiting for a reply, Rolo leapt out and sprinted towards his destination. The two imperial guards frowned in confusion as the assassin, still clad in his servant clothes, ran up to the front door and started knocking frantically. He hoped that one of them would recognize him and open the entrance - and the moment that happens, he would set off the bombs he had placed in the villa earlier. His left hand is already in his pocket, his thumb on the detonator.

Luck appeared to be on Rolo's side. One of the guards, after conversing animatedly with the other, hastened towards the mahogany double doors which were the main entrance and opened them. "Working in the grounds when they came, weren't you? Well, hurry up and come-" Rolo pressed the detonator, and instantly there was an earth-shattering roar as all of the explosives were triggered. The unsuspecting guards winced as their ears rang painfully and they fought to keep their balance - which was when Rolo decided to strike. He plunged into his pocket, retrieving a small dagger before he thrust it at the soldier who opened the door for him. The guard's eyes widened in shock as the blade buried itself deep inside his gut. The assassin swiftly withdrew the dagger and slashed at his enemy's neck for good measure. As his second adversary registered what happened, Rolo hurled the dagger at him with unerring aim, stabbing through his forehead, skull and his brain with seemingly equal ease.

Rolo hurried outside and made a series of beckoning gestures at the area where the Sword of Akasha raid team was hiding. They did not have much time. While the bombs destroyed all of the villa's surveillance cameras, Lelouch certainly would not take it as a coincidence and would assume that a secondary strike force had slipped into his abode. The terrorists had numbers and the element of surprise on their side, but that would not last long. "Section Alpha is to deploy the EMP bomb in the highest level of the villa! Bravo and Charlie, split up into two teams each and hold back the enemies! If Margrave Gottwald appears, maintain distance and use armour-piercing rounds and grenades! Let's go!"

* * *

The cold stone walls of the bunker did little to ease Shirley's anxiety. She paced up and down in her restlessness, sulking at her grey surroundings resentfully. The chamber was almost empty, save for an elderly male servant with balding grey hair. Everyone else had made haste to evacuate through the secret passage, which led to the grounds near the back gate. Shirley, however, refused to leave yet, for she did not want to leave Lelouch behind, regardless of whether they won or lost the battle. She merely heeded his advice to alleviate him of any further stress of him worrying about her, so as to give him a peace of mind. She was less than pleased that Lelouch still wanted to mollycoddle her, but she dismissed such petty thoughts. They were supposed to go through thick and thick together as a couple, and husband and wife soon. The prince's concern for her was obviously understandable, though nonetheless, the orange-haired teen was determined to sort it out next time.

"Lady Fenette," the servant mumbled, hobbling over to her side. "Please, we should really follow the rest and escape. There's little point in staying in here. It's dangerous."

"I know," Shirley groaned and paused her endless pacing. "But Lulu… looks so uncertain over the outcome of this fight. I never saw him like this when it comes to confronting the Sword of Akasha. Usually, he's bursting with confidence, always one step in front of them. Now he's perturbed…"

"You're hesitant to leave His Highness behind, are you not? I comprehend that, but what can you do, Lady Fenette? Besides, if we really are defeated, there's no doubt that we'd be imprisoned or slaughtered! I'm sure that His Highness would want you to escape unscathed. If we win anyway, we can simply return to the villa and continue living."

"What can I do…" Shirley murmured. She reached into her pocket, withdrawing the small pistol given to her by Darlton when he brought her to firearms training in the shooting range. Her eyebrows furrowed as she studied the weapon before her. Perhaps it was finally time for her to use it. After months after acquiring it, it never did anything save for shooting targets in the range.

"You can't be serious, Lady Fenette. Leave that unsavoury job to the soldiers. They're far better suited for such a role."

"I can't think that way! They have always been risking their lives, as well as Lulu, to protect this place. I won't simply stay back comfortably. I want to contribute too!" Shirley rambled, irked by her only companion. The servant sigh but did not reply - for he wouldn't be able to there was a series of earsplitting rumbles. Both the adolescent and elder lost balance and were sent tumbling to the ground as the entire house seemed to shake.

Shirley was the first among the two to recover, and she jumped to her feet. Within a few strides, she made her way to the servant, who was mumbling in agitation and helped him up. "What a tremor! What could have caused it?"

"I don't know," Shirley's brows knitted themselves together in unease. She turned towards the surveillance system in the bunker, but all of the cameras showed nothing but static. Her sense of foreboding deepening, she stood still in silence, straining her ears in a hopeful attempt to hear anything that could enlighten her of the current situation. After the first minute or so, she finally heard a barely audible series of crackling sounds. Although it was heavily muffled due to the bunker being underground, the sound was somehow vaguely familiar to her - peridot green eyes widened in alarm as she identified them as gunshots.

"They're here. They've entered the villa." Shirley whispered to herself, horrified. It meant that Lelouch was in immediate danger since most of the guards are deployed in the Knightmares, leaving her fiancé close to defenceless. That last line of thought was all that she needed. With her pistol in hand, she charged at the exit of the bunker.

"Miss Fenette! What are you doing?!"

"You go on ahead! Lulu's in danger!" Shirley called over her shoulder. To her surprise, her own legs came to a halt the moment she reached towards the door handle. It took her two seconds to realize that despite her brave words, she was trembling in nervousness. "I can't stop now. This is my fight too!" With a deep breath, Shirley banished her fear and wrenched the door open, dashing out to the smoke-filled corridor without a hint of hesitation. She did not look back.

* * *

"Missed again, Darlton," Luciano taunted. The Percival once more effortlessly evaded a reddish beam of energy. "And that was your sixth shot! Now I see why Princess Cornelia chose to bring Guilford with her over you. I approve of her choice, really. Leaving a doddering old fool like you behind would be a wise choice, since you would be nothing but a liability!"

Darlton tried his best to ignore the mocking words of his opponent. While he was smart enough not to let the opponent's words get to him, he had to acknowledge the superior skill of the Knight of Ten. Throughout his fifteen years of his career as a soldier, and near a decade of it as a Knightmare pilot, he had never faced a foe as formidable as Luciano before. The general had nearly a decade worth of Knightmare piloting experience under his belt, and he did not manage to scratch the Percival not even once since five minutes ago when he decided to take Luciano on. "Shut up and fight me instead, Bradley!"

"Aww, but don't you find our waltz fun?"

"You've been doing nothing except being on the defensive." The grizzled general allowed him a small smile. Perhaps it was his turn to attempt to get under his enemy's skin. "Or are you a mere coward only capable of running away? They should've called you the Fowl of Britannia instead!"

"What was that?" Luciano's tone changed. It was no longer mocking nor playful. There was an undercurrent of anger now - the Knight of Ten was affronted. Darlton congratulated himself. Hopefully, his enemy would make some unwise or easy to read moves while blinded by impatience and anger. "You dare make fun of me? You wouldn't last three seconds against me if I took this fight serio- agh!"

Darlton seized the opportunity to fire his hadron cannons at the Percival while its pilot was talking. Unfortunately for the former, despite the extremely short time window to respond, Luciano shifted the Percival sideways, causing the general's attack merely grazed the sides of the Knightmare.

"Damn it…" Darlton cursed under his breath. He did not really expect the fight to end there and then, but he was anticipating to inflict at least some significant damage that would give Luciano a handicap. "Bradley is indeed above my league..."

"That's it! Attempting to take me out while I'm talking? You're ruining the sanctity of our duel!"

"Hypocrite." Darlton did not believe that Luciano practised the concept of honour. Any man with the title "Vampire of Britannia" would be doubted of such anyway.

"I was going to go easy on you, but I've changed my mind. It's time for me to take the thing most precious to you." The Percival's quad claws began spinning rapidly again, forming a deadly drill. "Your life!"

Darlton did not retort, for he barely had time to do anything else except empty his entire arsenal of weaponry as the Percival came charging towards him. Engaging it in melee combat would be suicidal since both the pilot and his machine favoured close-quarters combat. Missiles and Hadron cannon blasts flew at the purple and white Knightmare, but the former was quickly destroyed by the Percival's own hadron cannons while it avoided the latter.

As the Percival rapidly closed the distance between itself and its target, it released a slew of missiles, all of which seemingly missed the Gareth. Darlton, however, paid the missiles no mind - he had to desperately fire his slash harkens at his adversary to buy some time for himself. To his dismay, his move proved to be futile as Luciano mimicked his movements, and both mecha's slash harkens ended up colliding uselessly against each other. The older male's eyes widened in both shock and awe at the reflexes displayed by his adversary. "Your life is mine!" Luciano crowed triumphantly, thrusting the drill at the Gareth's cockpit.

Darlton, while outclassed, was no slouch either and thus managed to avoid Luciano's killing blow, although he was only partially successful. While certain death was avoided, the Gareth's right arm was sheared off by the Percival's drill. The Gareth hefted the Hadron cannon in its remaining arm, pointed it at the Percival and let it loose.

Or rather he tried to. Just as Darlton attempted to fire, six missiles came flying towards the Gareth's left side. Four of them missed - but the rest all landed on its target. One smashed into the Knightmare's last arm, while the other crashed itself on its left leg. The Gareth was sent reeling through the sky from the impact while emitting smoke, now only possessing its right leg as the sole intact limb.

Darlton was stunned. "How…?" He looked up and saw that his adversary's six missile tubes were smoking slightly. Bradley must have anticipated that his attack would be evaded and fired the missiles as a countermeasure in case the General managed to get take advantage of his enemy's missed attack to retaliate. The Knight of Ten had somehow estimated the area his opponent would be in and sent the projectiles in the general direction in such a trajectory so that they would not be visible from Darlton's front.

"I told you. You're not even on my level. You're nothing but trash." Luciano's voice returned to its mocking, arrogant tone. "Perish like the garbage you are, Andreas Darlton!" The Percival immediately resumed its offence by charging again.

"Crap… I already lost…!" For what it felt like the thousandth time to Darlton, he found himself forced to use evasive manoeuvres again. The Percival closed in on him like a whirlwind and its drill slashed down at the smaller Knightmare. The tip barely scratched the torso of the Gareth, but the Percival's followup attack was far more successful. Its head-mounted slash harken launched just as the mech completed the slash, and with the shrieking sound of metal being shredded, it impaled the Gareth inches away from the cockpit.

The General groaned at the one-sidedness of the battle with slumped shoulders before he hastily utilised the cockpit ejection system of his mech. Just as the escape pod launched, its path of descent directed towards the Aries Villa, his Gareth finally exploded into smithereens. "Sir Darlton! Damn you!" The Percival turned to see half a dozen other Gareths flying towards him. Darlton's men clearly did not take the defeat of their General easily and are looking to avenge his loss.

Luciano bared his teeth and itched to make short work of the oncoming enemies, but he had to keep himself in check, at least for now. He eyed the area where the main battle was occurring, and he realized the Sword of Akasha was slowly but surely getting routed by Lelouch's knights, even with six of the latter leaving the fight to take him on. "Alright men, that's enough!" He announced, broadcasting his message to all of the terrorist forces. "We're fighting a losing battle here. Retreat! Retreat!"

"Don't think of running away, you filth! Vengeance for General Darlton!" The imperial troops, upon noticing that their adversaries began fleeing the battlefield, immediately gave pursuit. They relentlessly chased after their opponents, firing barrage after barrage of cannon blasts and missiles.

"Stop! All units, cease pursuit of enemy troops! I repeat all units are to cease pursuit of enemy troops immediately!" Lelouch's voice blared, startling his Knights. Most of them paused in consternation, while a minor few were too incensed to heed his orders and continued to chase after the Sword of Akasha.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, why?! We're finally beginning to chip at their numbers! We should run them down and crush them like the vermin they are!"

"That's an order! Cease all pursuit and form a defensive ring around the villa at once!" The prince shouted, slamming his fist on the table. The mounting pressure was starting to get to him - moments ago, there was a continuous series of explosions, and accompanying it was a huge tremor and all of the surveillance cameras were destroyed. Suspecting an infiltration, Lelouch had sent Jeremiah ahead to investigate and intercept them if it was true. And now the Sword of Akasha Knightmares were retreating for seemingly no good reason - such a move was simply too odd. "Something is wrong. They came here as a last-ditch attempt to kill me, and their secondary forces already managed to shut down all my surveillance cameras and infiltrate the complex. Plus they even enlisted the help of the Knight of Ten. Why would they retreat now? For a bunch of fanatics, they're showing far too little fighting spirit especially now that the odds aren't tipped in my favour. What the hell is Infinity up to?"

Lelouch glared at the fleeing forms in the distance before he resumed instructing his soldiers. "We don't have a clear advantage - the Percival has not even been damaged at all! Do not be baited into distancing yourself away from the villa, now that there is a possibility that the terrorists have entered!"

"Yes, Your Highness." It took a few moments for Darlton's angry subordinates to settle down, but nonetheless, they did not chase their opponents. The remaining seventeen Gareths formed a spherical cluster around the villa, and Lelouch finally allowed himself to feel slightly reassured.

Whatever relief the young tactician had downright vanished in the next second. All of the lights and air conditioning of the control room sputtered and failed, and so did all the monitors, screens and other electrical appliances. The room was plunged into darkness, and several operators squawked in surprise or yelled in fear. Lelouch blinked in stupefaction. There was yet another series of tremors, this time significantly more violent. He crouched down to balance himself while his mind realized that the possibility of its cause was his Knightmares crashing to the ground. "Is this… an electromagnetic pulse bomb?" He studied the theory of such a weapon before, but no one had managed to invent such a device before - until today, it seemed.

"Damn it!" Lelouch punched the floor in frustration, ignoring the pain it brought to his knuckles. He had been played like a fool by Infinity, and now he undoubtedly lost the battle. "Damn it all!" He halted himself from punching the floor again. Now was not the time to wallow in despair. The Sword of Akasha troopers would be rushing to capture him, and not even Jeremiah could save him now. The electromagnetic pulse bomb would have caused most of his systems to cease functioning, including life support. "Everyone! Grab anything that can be used as a weapon! Destroy all of our hard drives you can find! We must not allow them to fall into the wrong hands. Once done, we're moving to the bunker now!"

The terrified operators, driven by fear, quickly did what they were told, gunning down their hard drives and scrambling towards the exit. Most of them were armed with at least a pistol, so hopefully, the two dozen of them would be able to make it to the bunker with minimal losses. Once the last operator left his seat, Lelouch turned towards the exit as well. "Draw your weapons. We open the door on the count of three. Three. Two-" The prince was cut off as the door blew off its hinges, and multiple black-garbed men charged in, with assault rifles blazing.

"Eliminate them all except Prince Lelouch!" A voice which was familiar to Lelouch ordered firmly. While the operators outnumbered the terrorists two to one, most of them were inexperienced combatants, and worst of all, they were caught by surprise and some were paralyzed by shock. The eleventh prince, too, was immobilized, but only for a fleeting moment. He quickly adopted a shooting stance and fired three shots at an interloper, which struck his sternum and stomach. The terrorist yelped in pain as he went down, and Lelouch experienced a fleeting rush of satisfaction, until another enemy aimed a shot at his pistol, sending his handgun jerking out of his grip.

Lelouch swore at the top of his lungs, the expletive easily went unheard in the chaotic gunfight. He searched around wildly for the nearest available firearm and dived towards it. However, before his fingers could curl around the handle, he found himself staring down a barrel of a submachine gun. "Don't move! It's over!" The familiar voice demanded. Amethyst eyes slowly swivelled to his assailant, and they widened in shocked recognition.

"Come on. On your feet, Yo- Lelouch." Rolo coolly prodded at the prince with the tip of his firearm, his face seemingly devoid of emotion. The younger adolescent was still wearing his black-and-white servant's suit, with a much larger rifle slung on his back, which only irked the royal further.

"You." Lelouch made no attempt to move from his position. It was all he could do to stop his voice from shaking in rage. "You were a double agent all along?" He glanced around his surroundings and registered that every operator was lying dead. Most of them did not even manage to fire a single round. "So this is how it ends, huh? Betrayed and defeated. Nunnally… Shirley… I'm sorry. I failed." He thought bitterly.

"Yes," Rolo Haliburton nodded slowly, still with that stone cold expression. A savage impulse to punch him in the face took hold of Lelouch, propelling the adolescent royal to his feet. The Sword of Akasha terrorists instantly overpowered him, seizing his arms roughly and cuffing him. He glared at Rolo venomously, struggling not to flinch from the vigorous handling of his captors. "Now, where is Shirley?"

"What makes you think I'm going telling you a damn thing?!" The hapless prince snarled as he writhed about, seeking to throw off his captors to no avail.

"Fine. Your cooperation isn't required to locate her anyway. She'll find us instead." From what Rolo knew of Shirley's personality over the past few months, there was no doubt that if word of Lelouch's capture reached her ears, she would attempt to rescue him.

"Leave her alone, Haliburton!" Lelouch roared and renewed his futile struggles. "She has nothing to do with this!"

"My master's orders. Now, inform the Knightmare team to relay news of Lelouch's capture to the remaining enemies through their speakers. And while we're at it, take him away," Rolo waved the protesting royal off. For a moment, Lelouch caught a glimmer of what looked like resignation in the assassin's eyes. As four of the Sword of Akasha troops dragged the prince away, Rolo tossed the submachine gun away, adjusting the sling of his second weapon, revealing it to be a black, sleek semi-automatic sniper rifle. He grasped it firmly with his gloved hands and strode forward purposefully. There was still one last objective for him to complete.

* * *

"Rargh!" A dark-haired terrorist gasped in pain as a gunshot rang out in the corridor. He crashed into the blue carpeted floor, which was starting to get stained with crimson as his lifeblood spilt from his right shoulder. "Damn… you…!" He transferred his submachine gun to his left hand and tried to lift it to shoot back at his attacker, but he never got the chance. There was another thunderclap, and his head slammed to the ground, his eyes rolling back as the bullet ripped through his throat, mangling his windpipe and oesophagus.

Shirley panted heavily, eyeing the corpse of the infiltrator with enlarged green eyes. Bile rose within her throat and despite her nausea, she suppressed the urge to vomit. Her arms were trembling, causing the pistol to nearly drop from her tenuous grip. It was the first time she had taken the life of another. "It's just like what they said. It's far easier to shoot at the range than a living person," she mumbled to herself.

The extremist came charging towards her when she turned around the corner, and clearly, he was just as caught off guard as her. Somehow, she was the first one to fire. Shirley could not exactly remember how it happened - it all seemed like a blur to her. It felt just like in her firearms simulations, spot the target, raise the gun, squeeze the trigger twice to ensure the kill. It was only after the enemy was dead then she realised that she took the life of another human being.

"Come on, get yourself together!" The slender teenager tried to banish her horror and shock. "I need to get to Lulu's side as fast as I can!" A mental picture of her fiance in the hands of the Sword of Akasha flashed in her mind, and that alone was sufficient enough to get her shuddering legs to resume sprinting again.

However, just as Shirley lurched forward, three black-garbed men came charging around the corner. For a brief moment, they stared at each other, startled at each other's sudden appearance. "There she is! Freeze!" One of them quickly got over his surprise and shouted, raising his rifle to fire two warning shots at her. Obviously, she had no intention of heeding their words. Without thinking, she hastily dived towards the left in an instinctive attempt to dodge the bullets fired at her direction but ended up colliding with the wall instead, much to her adversaries' bemusement.

"Get up." A slightly disoriented Shirley felt a gloved hand wrest her weapon away before grasping and tugging at her upper arm. "You're coming with us." The masked visages of the terrorists stared down at her, two muzzles of assault rifles nearly touching her forehead. She gave no verbal response - only physical ones, kicking and clawing at the trio with her free hand while trying to wrestle her right arm away. To her bafflement, she succeeded doing so effortlessly, but the credit was not hers. More gunshots rang out and the terrorists collapsed in a bloody heap, all three of them terminated so suddenly that they did not even manage to face their attackers. The redhead glanced around in bewilderment, and it didn't take her long to pinpoint her saviours.

"Darlton!" Shirley couldn't be any happier to see the general and his men. Most of them were covered with cuts and abrasions, Darlton included. She scrambled to her feet while the group of imperial guards trudged forward, lowering their weapons - which mainly consisted of pistols.

"Glad we could make it in time, Miss Fenette," the scarred general rumbled, pocketing his handgun and bending down to pick up one of the terrorists' assault rifles. He inspected the gun before rummaging through the corpses for additional ammunition, tossing them and the other dropped rifles to his subordinates.

"Do you know what's going on?"

"We've lost the Knightmare fight, and all communications with the command has been severed. Margrave Gottwald is nowhere in sight, but I don't think we can count on him - whatever shut down all of our Knightmares probably affected him as well. We might chance upon him crawling somewhere. Most importantly, the enemy has informed us that His Highness has already been captured," Darlton said heavily. He did not see the point of mincing his words, for he wanted Shirley to understand the gravity of the situation. The officer noticed her stricken expression and added in a more reassuring tone. "Don't worry, Miss Fenette. We'll take it from here. I suggest that we escort you to the bunker, where you can seek refuge. It's dangerous out here."

"... Why does everyone keep telling me to hide while they risk their lives…?" Shirley asked quietly, her tone carrying an undercurrent of pent-up irritation and unhappiness.

"It's our job to protect both of your lives. Now, you must get goi-" Darlton extended a gloved hand towards Shirley.

"Enough!" Shirley snapped in response, forcefully swatting the General's outstretched hand away. The military officer was taken aback - he did expect her to argue, but Darlton never witnessed her this incensed before. "I'm going with you all to rescue him, and nothing you people can say will convince me otherwise!"

"Calm down, Miss Fe-"

"Calm down?! He's my fiance, Darlton!"

"Your concern and resolve are commendable, but please let me explain first," Darlton held up his hand firmly. He scrutinized the lithe teenager before him for a brief moment. "We'll let them come to us instead."

"Wha-"

"We'll be on the defensive. Prince Lelouch is most likely secured by them already, and going out there with all the Knightmares is suicide. However, they haven't blown the house up yet, so I guess they still require something from us… perhaps they're after you as well. Thus, I propose we head to the bunker and use it as a defensive position. If we hold out long enough, reinforcements may arrive and the tides would turn against them."

"Oh…" Shirley paused, mildly embarrassed at being interrupted mid-tirade. "What if no one is coming to help us…?"

"The certainty of death versus a slim chance at victory," Darlton's expression was grim. "I think we all agree we prefer the latter. Besides, a siege on a residence of royalty would definitely not go unnoticed and unpunished."

"What if they just wanted to capture him and leave? Then we'll just be sitting around for nothing…"

"The presence of their troops here say otherwise," Darlton tilted his head to the cadavers of terrorists. "Even if that is untrue, we can't face Knightmares with these rifles."

"Right, they didn't kill me on sight. They wanted to capture me..." Shirley bit on her lip. She was no strategist, but it was the most sound plan they had at the moment. However, the thought of leaving Lelouch in the hands of the Sword of Akasha for even just a split second was dreadful to her, to say the least. "I can't just leave him behind…" Her fists were clenched, and her tone was laden with anxiety.

"Believe me, none of us wants to, but any other alternative is a death sentence. We need to leave now. This corridor is far from a good place to mount a defence." Darlton tugged gently at his charge's upper arm, but she did not budge an inch. "Come on-" At that precise moment, his trained ears caught the faint but gradually growing sound of many pairs of booted feet stomping. "Move!" The General spared no finesse in tightening his grip on her arm, dragging Shirley along with him as he sprinted towards the other end of the corridor, where he and his men came from. The soldiers under his command were startled for a fraction of a second before they followed his lead.

Their sudden movement was almost too late, for a moment later, a thundering hailstorm of bullets blanketed the area where Darlton stood. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for three of his men - they were a fraction of a second slower than their general, and they paid the price for that heavily by having their bodies riddled with rifle rounds. Darlton could not spare his fallen men a second glance, pulling the stunned Shirley around the left corner of the corridor to take cover behind the wall while his surviving subordinates emulated his movements.

"Damn… We lost Kasper, Rickert and Johan, sir." One of the soldiers groaned, fighting to keep his voice clear of anger and grief.

"I know," Darlton grunted. He removed the transparent magazine of his rifle to inspect the remaining rounds. He cocked the rifle and inserted the magazine in before pulling at the charging handle once more. "We'll make them pay for it in their blood, William."

"I'm sorry, Darlton…" Shirley began.

"Apologies can wait until we get out of this alive, Miss Fenette," Darlton tossed her his pistol and his spare ammunition. "I trust that you still are proficient in handling this?" The redhead nodded and gripped the weapon. Misgivings aside, he reasoned that she would be at least a welcome addition to their fighting ranks since the Sword of Akasha is not out to kill her yet. Darlton frowned, quickly scanning their surroundings and finding them far from his liking. "We should get out of here. If the previous corridor was bad, staying here would be a death sentence," he growled, glaring pointedly at the multiple tall windows lining their hallway.

Without warning, one of the said windows shattered into shards of glass and a defender's head seemingly popped, spraying grey matter and blood all over his comrades. "Sniper! Get down!" As the group of remaining defenders promptly dropped to the floor in a prone position, the dreaded sound of booted feet stomping towards them was heard not only from their front but from their left-rear as well. This meant that the terrorists behind them are closing in, with another group of hostiles charging towards them from the other end of the corridor. The scarred military officer grimaced. "Great, enemies coming from our front and rear… we're beset on all sides. Plus a sniper. We're screwed."

Darlton knew that his knights came to the same conclusion as him - he saw the desperation and hopelessness in their crazed eyes. The moment a dozen Sword of Akasha terrorists, with the intention to cut off their path, came into sight, the imperial guards hollered at the top of their lungs and opened fire on the invaders. Their assailants retaliated as fiercely as they could, and the air was filled with splattering flesh and gore, and the stench of gunpowder. Shirley was simply frozen, her eyes wide and bulging and ears ringing, seemingly unable to comprehend the sheer volume of intense violence right before her eyes.

"Charge! We have to break through their encirclement!" Darlton thundered, his voice nearly drowned out by the repeated peals of gunshots. However, the rational-driven words were enough to bring Shirley out of her daze. "Fall back to where we came from! If we can get far in enough, at least we would limit the sniper's view! Right now he has a vantage point! Vincent, Elton and Alfred, you'll be the rear guard! The rest of you go now! Move!" He pulled her to her feet once more, but she shook his grip off and shot him a determined look to show that she has come back to her senses. Without another word, she took a deep breath and followed Darlton and his troops.

As the defenders turned around the corner, they were immediately greeted by the original group of pursuers. Shirley wondered why didn't they catch up to them during the brief seconds they took refuge, and now she understood. They were waiting for their comrades and the sniper to force them back and took the time to take up positions. The defenders caught a glimpse of nine men, eight pointing assault rifles straight at them while the last had a general purpose machine gun mounted on a tripod before they came under fire.

What happened in the next minute was a complete blur to Shirley. The roaring of automatic gunfire all but deafened her and she emptied her mind, repeating the lines she always recited to herself in the shooting range. "Position the target in the sight, and shoot," she thought while her body obeyed the instructions in her mind, her fingers pulling the trigger over and over again whenever a target came into her iron sight of her pistol. Pure adrenaline and desperation fuelled her actions, overpowering her sense of fear and despair. A Sword of Akasha soldier jerked backwards, crashing to the ground with a scream when a bullet tore through his diaphragm. "Position the target in the sight, and shoot." The ends of her bright orange locks snipped off as a round whizzed past her face, striking an unfortunate imperial guard's shoulder. "Position the target in the sight, and shoot." Another terrorist dropped dead when she fired twice, blood spraying when both shots landing solidly on his chest.

Before Shirley knew it, the gunfight was over. There were no more black-clad figures carrying assault rifles left for her, or any of her allies, to shoot anymore. She lowered her pistol, aghast at the scene before her. Bodies, both belonging to hostiles and friendlies, were splayed everywhere. The azure carpet was now hardly recognizable, nearly the entirety of it was stained with crimson lifeblood. "Son… of a bitch…" A voice behind her caught her attention, the expletive causing her to whirl around. A lone terrorist staggered around the corner, one arm hanging limply at his side while he struggled to bring up his submachine gun in another. "Hail the Sword of Akas-" He never got to finish his sentence, as Darlton finished him off with a gunshot to the head. Shirley flinched slightly and looked away, incidentally glancing at the people around her. There were only three of them left - Darlton, her and another soldier.

However, while they have eliminated all of their adversaries, for now, they had yet to move from the precarious position of being near the window. It proved to be a fatal mistake a second later. The intricate design of the windows smashed when the sniper fired another round, fragments of glass flying, one of it barely slicing the skin of Shirley's left cheek. The soldier, whose name Shirley never knew, let out of a wordless gurgle, collapsing to the floor with a hole in his throat. Darlton instantly started sprinting forward in an attempt to place himself in a more secure location, but the sniper was faster - while the General managed to move fast enough to place his head and neck out of his sight, the rest of his body was still visible. The bullet pierced through Darlton's upper back, mangling part of his stomach and spleen. He stumbled and fell forward on his face, and laid still.

"Darlton!" Darlton barely registered Shirley's shrill scream. His vision was hazy, and his self-preservation instincts propelled him to attempt crawling forward despite the agony coursing through his body. A pair of small hands took hold of his own, and Shirley tried her best to assist her mentor by dragging him as far away from the window as possible with all the strength she possessed.

Suddenly, the injured man released his grip and lifted a hand, chuckling to himself. "That's enough. I won't be able to make it."

"What are you saying?" Shirley scarcely believed her still ringing ears. Darlton had always encouraged her and pushed her to her limits when training her. Hearing him throw in the towel was staggering. "You'll make it! You just need to rest and hold on-"

"No. We might have won that little skirmish just now, but it's likely that there's still a number of them around, including that sniper… I'm finished, as much as I hate to admit it." Shirley gazed at him, a mixed look of guilt, terror and grief on her visage. "Don't give me… that look, Miss Fenette." Breathing was starting to hurt for him, and he gripped Shirley's hand with all his remaining strength. "We soldiers are aware that there's a possibility of us not growing old the moment we signed on that bloody paper to enlist in the army. I'd say that two and a half decades as a Britannian soldier is no mean feat."

"You can't just give up-!"

"Listen!" Darlton interrupted her sternly with a groan, looking at his charge in her eyes. "Go now. Run and hide. Buy yourself and His Highness as much time as possible, before reinforcements come. There is still hope for you and him, don't you dare abandon it by wasting time on his old, dying stooge here. Go! Leave m-" There was another roar, signifying the firing of the sniper rifle again, the gunman clearly took the time to reposition himself. The hulking general's head exploded, bits of brain, skull and crimson fluid scattered over the area - a generous amount of it showering Shirley, from her head to her waist.

Shirley stared at the corpse of her mentor with a mortified expression on her bloodstained face. Even he, who always seemed so formidable during their training sessions, had his life snuffed out so suddenly as if he was a gnat. "Darlton…" She murmured and fell to her knees, her slim frame shuddering, as the realization that the entire imperial guard was exterminated, leaving her alone as the sole survivor, sank in.

Shirley had no idea how long she spent staring at where Darlton's head should be, unable to move in shock - until she faintly detected the growing sound of footsteps. Part of her just wanted to give in to the seemingly hopeless situation - everyone else was dead or captured, and by the sound of it, the Sword of Akasha terrorists were far from defeated. "No… I can't just sit down here. If I don't move, that's when the Sword of Akasha would win, and Lulu will be killed!"

The volume of the footsteps reached a crescendo, and the lithe redhead instantly snatched up her pistol - she dropped it after trying to drag Darlton away. She didn't even know whether it still had sufficient ammunition or not, but judging by the proximity of the footsteps, she had little time to scavenge for additional ammo. Her heart pounding ferociously, Shirley took a deep breath and charged out from the corner. She'd be damned if she just sat there and let them capture her without a fight. However, whom she saw nearly made her drop the weapon instead.

"Rolo!" Shirley exclaimed in surprise, coming face to face with the young servant. "What are you doing here?" His appearance was ragged and his hair was slightly unkempt, she noted. There were multiple bloodstains on his usually pristine suit, and there was a deadened look in his pink eyes. The most striking thing, however, was the sniper rifle clutched in his right hand, kept to his side. A rather absurd, but desperate idea began to form in Shirley's mind. "You… can fight, can't you?"

Rolo merely stared at her, deadpan. For a brief second, there was a glimmer of pensiveness in his eyes, but Shirley did not notice. Instead, she pressed on urgently. "Please…! Lulu is held by them as we speak. The rest of them are trying to capture me. I know it's a lot to ask of you, but if you can fight, I need you to assist me in fighting them off! If we succeed, reinforcements can arrive and we still can save hi-" She was cut off abruptly as Rolo wordlessly brought his sniper rifle up, its barrel pointing unerringly at her. "...Rolo?"

"No," the servant rasped. His pink orbs seemed to bore intensely into Shirley's green ones. "There's no way you can save him anymore. You're outnumbered and outgunned. You should surrender."

"What are you saying…?!" Shirley was flabbergasted. She eyed his raised weapon in astonishment. There was no mistake - its iron sight rested precisely between her eyes. "What are you doing, Rolo?"

"Agent Rolo Haliburton," Rolo quietly declared. His tone was cold and monotonous. "That's how my master addresses me. Spy and assassin in the service of Infinity for six years, who is the current leader of the Sword of Akasha." Shirley flinched, her eyes widening in incredulity and horror. "That is who I am."

"This… this is a bad joke, right?" Shirley asked weakly. She laid her disbelieving eyes on the servant, hoping, perhaps foolishly, for any indication that he simply chose a bad time to pull a fast one on her. He just stood stiffly and returned her gaze before he replied.

"No. It is nothing but the honest, bald-faced truth."

"You mean… You've been helping the enemy all along since the day you came here?"

"Yes," Rolo admitted. "Aside from the period where I was an amnesiac, I assisted the Sword of Akasha. I've done many things. I bugged this villa and passed on information to my master for many months. I was the one who led the terrorists inside today, planted the explosives all over the house and set up the EMP bomb to ensure that Lelouch's Knightmares would not function in the middle of battle. I took up the role of a sniper once my allies have you cornered, and eliminated the surviving imperial guard. Also…" the assassin shifted slightly. "I killed your father."

It was as though a floodgate suddenly shattered with Shirley, and a whirlpool of unadulterated horror, incredulity, shock, grief and outrage all but poured forth, threatening to engulf her. Without the slightest hint of hesitation, her arms shot up in an instant, bringing her own pistol up to her eye level. Rolo's instincts screamed at him to roll aside and shoot her, but he resisted it. "Say that again, one more time…" Shirley demanded. He blinked, resisting the impulse to take a step back after seeing the look in her eyes. He was accustomed to seeing them overflowing with kindness. Now they were frenzied, completely devoid of any sort of benevolence. "Say that again!"

Rolo bit down on his lip painfully to distract himself from a sudden and crushing sensation of an unknown emotion. The muzzle of the heavy sniper rifle wavered, and he lowered the weapon. "It was me. I was the one who murdered your father that night."

"Why?!" Tears of fury and sorrow spilt forth, trailing down Shirley's cheeks. She never felt so betrayed in her life. "My father – he was a good man! Innocent! He could never pose a threat to you people, or anyone else! He didn't deserve– how could you do that?! Why did you have to kill him?!"

"My master ordered me to. I had to obey."

"Why does he want to kill my father of all people?!"

"I don't know."

Rolo's answer, given with a mechanical tone, only served to incense Shirley. "Why wouldn't you know?! You're the one who killed him!" She received no reply, and the assassin merely stared wordlessly at her, with a nary a trace of emotion. "… Don't you feel anything? For all you've done to us?! Especially after we've known each other for months?"

"It doesn't matter, Shirley," Rolo said. His voice cracked slightly, belying his impassive expression. "It shouldn't matter." He paused before continuing. "I was conditioned to prioritize my missions above all else, regardless of the circumstances. I've been like that my entire life ever since I served Infinity."

The trigger of Shirley's handgun creaked slightly as her index finger poised themselves on the mechanism. There was no way Rolo could be lying anymore - his own words combined with her recollections of his behaviour confirmed that he could only be a spy. She wanted nothing more than to pull the trigger and claim vengeance for her father.

However, through her tear-blurred green eyes, a part of the redhead saw the assassin in front of her as someone to be pitied - a puppet who was continuously forced to do his master's bidding while believing that it was the only way to live, regardless of how he felt.

Rolo frowned as the familiar sound of a pistol's trigger groaning reached his keen ears. Shirley's countenance disturbed him - it was one which reflected her misery and abhorrence. There was a sinking feeling in his heart, but like the many new sentiments he had experienced since he started his mission in the villa, he did not know the reason behind it. Mayhaps it was due to her refusal to back down quietly, it would be so much easier for him if his target just raised the white flag instead of using violence. "Please surrender, Shirley," Rolo asked quietly. "His Highness is already in our hands. I don't want to use force to make you submit. There's no need to fight any-"

"Shut up!" Shirley shrieked, the pistol quivering about madly in her shaky grip. It was clear that her mental and emotional state was deteriorating from immense distress. "Shut up, shut up! This is all your fault! Don't you dare tell me what to do, traitor!"

"I merely executed the will of Infinity."

"I said, shut up! You could have refused him, couldn't you?!" Shirley's tone turned bitter, and despite her own words, she knew she wasn't being reasonable. If she had learnt of the conditions surrounding Rolo's upbringing and moulding into a puppet-like assassin under normal situations, she would have been sympathetic towards him. However, right now, surrounded by dismembered and blown apart carcasses of the imperial guard and terrorists, commiseration was at the bottom of the list of things she wanted to offer to her old friend now.

"You could have turned him down when he asked you to attack us! You could have refused to kill my father!" The redhead furiously ranted. You could have done nothing when he asked you for information! You could have told us after you recovered your memories! You could have… you could have-! You could have averted this madness if you just did one of those things!" Shirley screamed.

Rolo once more did not say anything, nor did he take any action. He continued standing with the same reserved expression on his face. The look on his face brought a memory from months past came into Shirley's mind - Rolo sitting shyly in front of her while she shuffled his resume as a servant of the villa. The realization struck her - in a way, even she had indirectly contributed to her current situation - after all, she was the one who accepted Rolo into the villa. Once again, her naivety and trusting nature had led them both to a horrifying predicament, just like that time with Mao. She tightened the grip on the pistol in an attempt to steady it, to little avail. Nonetheless, the barrel was still pointing at Rolo, who instinctively responded by pointing his rifle at her.

"I must shoot him... I must...! If I let myself get caught here and now, there won't be anyone left to save Lulu...!" Just as Shirley tried to will her trembling fingers into action, she saw something that made it nigh impossible for her to do so. Through the haze of anger and vengeance, she noticed that Rolo maintained a stoic expression on his visage. He was truly nothing than a puppet dancing to the tunes of his superior. "I can't let myself feel pity for him!"

Unfortunately, Shirley found herself unable to summon the last bit of strength to squeeze the trigger. It was hard enough for her to take the lives of the Sword of Akasha terrorists - opening fire at the face of someone whom not only she was familiar with, but also would be a sympathetic figure under normal circumstances, was completely beyond her, and she knew it. And if she cannot get past Rolo, then saving Lelouch was nothing but an impossibility. "Why...? Why am I so soft?! He did too much wrong to us!"

Shirley let out a wordless cry of frustration and dismay, causing Rolo to jump backwards slightly. She finally snapped and squeezed the trigger multiple times as fast as she could. The assassin's instincts screamed at him to retaliate by shooting to either incapacitate or disarm her, but his body did not move. Regardless, her aim was wild and inaccurate - her first three shots missed him by inches and only one out of seven rounds came close, grazing the top of his left shoulder. It was almost as though she wasn't even aiming for him. Rolo stared blankly, stunned that he was unharmed.

Shirley dropped to her knees in despair, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She grasped her right arm digging the fingernails of her left hand into her triceps. A minute passed in silence, save for her sniffing, before she spoke. "Fine. I'll give in. Just so that I'll be with Lulu, I'll go with you," Shirley wiped at her still tear-filled eyes, looking away from Rolo. "I made a promise to him. No matter how painful it is, I'll stay by his side."

Rolo hesitated slightly before he drew a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. The youth quietly and slowly stepped forward, knelt down next to her and cuffed her hands together. Shirley did not even spare him a single glance while all this transpired. The spy took a deep breath and opened his mouth with an apology in mind, then closed it. Perhaps it was better if he said nothing at all. He gently tugged her to her feet with next to no resistance and led the lover of the eleventh prince of Britannia to where the Sword of Akasha was waiting.

* * *

Author's Note: That's the end of the chapter! And yes, there are a LOT of things happening, with many variables needing to be shifted away from Lelouch's favour in order for this ending to happen. Honestly, this was a truly difficult chapter for me to write because of that - the odds have to supremely stacked against Lelouch in order for the SoA to win. From bringing in the Percival to tip the scales in the Knightmare fight, jamming of all communications to Euphemia and the Emperor, and the electromagnetic pulse bomb. Plus, I had to rewrite Rolo's perspective a couple of times, I find that being in his shoes is harder... difficult. Does anyone still find him acting OOC, I wonder?

I initially wanted a Gefjun disturber type of a weapon instead, but it felt way too weird, plus I had no idea how the Gefjun disturber should work. Anyway, in case anyone was wondering, this was the planned ending of chapter 23 from the very start I conceived of this fic, and well, I hope no one found it too shocking. I pretty much brought the gore factor up as well, so I pray no one had queasy stomachs because the next one wouldn't be pretty either.

I owe all my readers an apology for taking so long (I think it was like 5-6 months?) to update this fic! My bad for being so distracted. With some encouragement, I aim to publish the next one before or when the new year comes. Please review and let me know what you guys think - too unexpected? Too bloody? Hope things go another way? Just feel free to flood my inbox with PMs or reviews! Woohoo. Cheers for reading!


	24. The Unravelling of Masks

Author's note: Hello, my dear readers. I'm really sorry about updating the story so late... I gave an estimate that it would be up by the new year but now it's May. I have never been this bad at punctuality before. Therefore, I owe you guys an explanation, which would be given in the paragraph below.

1\. I had some trouble with some personal matters last December, which led to mild depression. I've gotten much better since last January, though.  
2\. I joined a sports team sponsored by my battalion, which had an intense training period from January to April. Honestly, I could've found some time to write, but I didn't feel like it since I was constantly exhausted.  
3\. Writer's block. I think this chapter was even more difficult to pen compared to the last one. This chapter may be a lot shorter, but I found myself stuck a lot more often here.  
4\. An overseas trip followed up by involvement in the preparation of the Trump-Kim Summit in late May to mid-June.

I'm aware that some may view the above as a bunch of excuses. I won't deny that there has been more than one occasion where I could have spent my time continuing this story but I didn't. I apologize to my readers for this. I know it can be frustrating to wait. Now that I'm better and my sports team's annual competition is over, I have a lot more spare time on hand. My word probably isn't credible anymore... nevertheless I will try my best to keep writing. Afterall, according to the plan, there are only one or two chapters left.

 **I know that the above was quite a lengthy tirade**. However, before we get to the meat of this chapter, I feel like I need to address something - another rant incoming. After the release of the previous chapter, 'Bloodstained Aries', one of my readers who had dutifully followed this story since I started it, pointed out his dislike for it and promptly unfollowed me and the story.

I assumed it was because of the startling changes in tone and direction, plus the addition of gore galore. I mean, in chapter 22 we had the male and female lead licking each other's wounds and getting engaged, plus the Sword of Akasha was dealt quite a pretty bad blow (not like they've won once since Chapter One anyway). Then in chapter 23, we had Lelouch losing for the first time, Shirley screaming her lungs out hatefully at Rolo, who had regressed to a mechanical and doll-like order-obeying spy/assassin, and Darlton's head going off like a pinata. And to top it all off, both main characters are captured by the 'bad guys', who are suddenly a military force to be reckoned instead of a bunch of pompous asshats reminiscent of villains from a kids' show, à la Team Rocket.

Yes, I knew the chapter had the potential to be controversial and upsetting. I'm aware that despite that, most of my audience received 'Bloodstained Aries' positively. To all those who belonged to the former group, I'm sorry that it was a jarring experience for you, but I do not regret writing it'. I believe it was a bold but necessary move to push the story forward… and honestly, I enjoyed writing it. It was a breath of fresh air.

Furthermore, I would like to reinforce the fact that this fic is a blend of romance, action and drama. It was never meant to be a light-hearted romance fic. I'm fairly sure you all are aware of that when I decided to axe Shirley's dad. **And a word of warning** , while this chapter's level of bloodiness isn't as explicit as 'Bloodstained Aries'... do expect a fair amount of brutality, probably more than the previous one. No worries, I won't take it anywhere too extreme (not going to be 18+ material).

I apologize for the wall of text and disturbing some of my readers. If you are against the change in direction and need an outlet, you're welcome to discuss this at length with me via PM. Rant over, let's proceed to The Unravelling of Masks. Enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter 24**  
 **The Unravelling of Masks**

"Your Highness! Wait!" Euphemia turned a deaf ear to the frantic calls of her bodyguards. The pink-haired princess rushed forward to the charred and smoking villa, ignoring the fact that the hem of her white dress was brushing against the burnt and blackened ground. She had managed to slip past her guards, who were just opening the door of their armoured limo. She did not slow down and pushed the somewhat ajar double wooden doors wide open. Euphemia retched, immediately overcome with the fetid stench of blood and gunpowder. Her mortified eyes were greeted by the crimson stained hallways of the Aries Villa, unidentifiable bodies and limbs, which were scattered all over the place. Her fists were clenched from anxiety, and she fervently prayed that her half-brother was still alive and that he would be found somewhere in his residence. The princess gingerly stepped over the corpses and shards of broken glass just as her entourage of heavily armed and armoured bodyguards caught up to her.

"Your Highness, with all due respect, but you should've let us go ahead first. The complete withdrawal of hostiles has not been confirmed by Kururugi's team yet. We might not know if there's still a terrorist hiding inside the residence, hoping to snipe a person of import among the reinforcements." One of the knights spoke up, and there was a murmur of assent rippling through her group.

"They have no reason to target me," Euphemia brushed off her guards' suggestion brusquely. "And there's no time to waste! We should get searching for Lelouch at once-"

"Her Highness Cornelia explicitly told us not to allow you to be in unsafe situations, Your Highness." The same knight countered. There was a hint of dread in his tone, clearly highlighting his fears of being punished. In fact, the pink-haired teenager was not even supposed to be here. Once Cornelia was notified of the situation with the Aries Villa, it took Euphemia half an hour of persuading and begging her older sister before she relented. The Third Princess was allowed to check the place in person, only if she was accompanied by an entire platoon of knights, all handpicked by the Second Princess herself.

"I won't be. You all would be escorting me, yes?"

The guards groaned in unison, although they hastily quietened under her sharp gaze. Euphemia shook her head in exasperation, wondering how could they prioritize the orders of her older sister, who was not here in the flesh, over locating her half-brother, who might not even be alive for all she knew. _"No! He has to be! They must be alive! Nothing could have happened to them!"_ The pink-haired royal insisted to herself. She suddenly charged towards the stairs, and her companions hurried to keep up with her.

Euphemia paused momentarily, the noise of booted feet running having reached her ears. She glanced towards the landing of the staircase and sighted Suzaku and his team of a dozen Honorary Britannians. They reached the villa close to half an hour before her party - the Second Princess displayed little hesitancy in deploying them to the incidence site instantly when she received the news. She made eye contact with Suzaku hopefully, but one look at his face, etched with concern, told her that his report would not bring her any relief.

"Any sign…?" Nonetheless, Euphemia crossed her fingers and asked Suzaku, who made his way down the stairs to kneel in front of her. Under usual circumstances, she would insist that he rose, but right now she hardly cared.

"Nothing so far," Suzaku's tone was laced with despondency. "We've just finished combing the East Wing, the bunker and the lounge as well."

The princess's shoulders slumped momentarily. "How about the West Wing?"

"We've yet to-"

"Let's move, then. We should not tarry here." Euphemia interrupted and briskly whisked herself off towards the said wing. The knights blinked in surprise at her sudden assertiveness and quickly followed suit. As she half-ran down the corridors of the villa, negative thoughts began popping up in her head. _"What if they're not here? Or what if we stumble upon their bodies? Ohh… don't think such depressing lines!"_ She glanced sideways to Suzaku, who was keeping up with her with apparent ease. "Suzaku... what if we don't manage to find them?"

Suzaku was silent for a few seconds before he tried his best to be as optimistic and reassuring as he could. "Don't worry, Your Highness. I'm sure we will locate them."

"I know, but I mean - what if we don't?"

"Even so… maybe they escaped?"

"Or captured." Another of Euphemia's knights suggested darkly.

"How come we did not receive any word of the attack from Lelouch himself?" The Third Princess muttered, upset. "And why we only caught wind of this when a report was submitted by a civilian to the police?" The very minute they were notified that Lelouch's residence was under attack, they had sent an entire battalion of Knightmares as reinforcements, including the Lancelot Conquista. Unfortunately, they were too late and only arrived at an empty house with the wreckage of destroyed Gareths strewn around the burning surroundings.

"Either he got caught too off guard that he could not make any calls for reinforcements, which is unlikely seeing how tight the security is... or the communication channels he tried to reach were jammed." Suzaku's expression turned grave. "I would say the latter - considering how much effort Lelouch put into defending this place, the battle was probably a siege."

"Preposterous! That would mean that they know what frequencies our channels are operating on!" A soldier listening to their conversation interjected. "We do not give away such sensitive information to anyone except our own."

"There's no way Lelo- His Highness would not at least try to reach out to Princess Euphemia during a battle," Suzaku reasoned. "Paranoid as he is, I think he did not suspect us."

"Insolence! Are you insinuating that there's a member of royalty involved in the affairs of terrorists?"

"Carine and Guinevere were, Sir Albert," Euphemia reminded the knight, who looked on the verge of getting into a fistfight with the Honorary Britannian. "Do not assume there is no one else who is secretly on the side of the Sword of Akasha."

"As you say, Your Highness." The knight in question grumbled and shot Suzaku a disgusted glare, who ignored it. The party resumed their search in silence and surmounting anxiety, for everywhere they turned, they only found more bodies of the fallen and no signs of life.

"Ugh!" Euphemia turned away when they reached yet another corridor full of dead people. Upon inspecting the bodies, she put a hand to her mouth as bile rose in her throat and she repressed the urge to throw up. Suzaku supposed that he couldn't fault her, for he found himself wincing at the scene. It wasn't merely due to the sheer amount of corpses. The unsettling bit was the state of them. Previously, most of the cadavers they came upon had usual bullet wounds or gaping, bloody holes in them - indicating a use of a large calibre firearm. But even so, all those paled in comparison to the grotesqueness of the bodies now. Body parts and guts were strewn all over the area, and the majority of the corpses were torn asunder.

"A sickening sight." A balding knight muttered as he knelt down and bent over to scrutinize the corpses. He repeated this gesture half a dozen more times to different bodies in the room, while the rest busied themselves with attempting, rather futilely, to identify any of the dead. "And a peculiar one, too."

Euphemia grimaced and forced herself to step forward, mindfully trying not to trod on the bodies. "What do you mean by that?"

"The appearance of the corpses, Your Highness. Some looked to be impaled, hacked or cleaved by an edged weapon. A few of them are exceptionally brutal - split from shoulder to hip, head to the crotch or simply at the waist. Abnormal wounds in a gunfight."

"An edged weapon…?" Suzaku frowned in consternation. Why anyone would choose to wield such a thing in the age of firearms confounded him. Furthermore, there were numerous victims of the mysterious weapon - or weapons, Suzaku corrected himself. For a lone man to deliver so much death with a mere blade would be ridiculous. Such feats were unheard of - until an image of a tall, built green-haired cyborg flashed in his mind. "Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald!"

"What was that, Kururugi?"

"Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald!" Euphemia repeated and snapped her fingers in excitement. She beamed at Suzaku for his exclamation - she wouldn't have thought of the cyborg that quickly. "He could be the one behind this! He uses a blade as his primary weapon!" The royal looked around wildly for any sign of him, but there were simply too many bodies lying around to even single out an exceptional individual like Jeremiah. "He might be still around here as well-!"

"-es… I'm 'ere…" A barely audible voice croaked. The members of the search party spun around, trying to pinpoint its origin. Among the sea of corpses, there was a gloved hand waving around weakly.

"Margrave Gottwald!" Euphemia rushed to his side, nearly tripping over a severed arm in her haste. The noble was lying face down, and she struggled to turn him over. His bodyweight, enhanced by cybernetics, was significantly heavier than most men. Her knights moved to assist her, and soon enough they succeeded in seeing Jeremiah's face. It was pale, his right eye - his bionic one, was rolled up. A mix of what appeared to be blood and fluids were trickling down from the side of his mouth. "Oh god… what happened?"

"They… came. The Sword… of Akasha," Jeremiah rasped. Every word seemed to be a painful task for the cyborg. "And… Percival… as well."

"Don't speak anymore! You need medical attention-" Euphemia started, but Jeremiah slowly raised a shuddering hand to stop her.

"I must. My… life support systems… offline for… two hours. Wouldn't… last much… longer." Jeremiah coughed up more blood. "Suddenly… all of our… Knightmares just stopped functioning… and so did I."

"A Gefjun disturber?" Suzaku guessed, his eyebrows furrowing. That was the only thing that came to his mind that could disrupt Knightmares' operability that severely. However, he was certain that the Gareths were fitted with Gefjun disturber shielding. _"Unless they had the technology to disable the shielding too."_

"Don't… know," Jeremiah gave a lopsided shrug as his right shoulder no longer responded. "They… took His Highness. And Miss Fenette."

"The Sword of Akasha?" The Margrave nodded. "Where?!"

"Not… sure. I just… happened to… see them… passing by this… corridor." Upon hearing his words, Euphemia's and Suzaku's expression turned crestfallen. Jeremiah suddenly grasped the princess's hand and squeezed it with his remaining strength. Euphemia let out a startled cry, and her eyes met Jeremiah's functioning one. She found herself unable to look away - the desperation and anger in his gaze were gripping. "I… failed her… again. Him. Them. Don't… give up. Find… them. Save… them! And make them... pay."

"I will, Jeremiah. I promise." Euphemia's tone was solemn. "Now, we need to get you to the medic-"

"Came...lot. Only they… can help me. But… first…! Save them..."

"I know. We'll find Lelouch, that's our top priority." Euphemia reassured the agitated Margrave. "Meanwhile, I'll ask someone to bring you to Camelot as fast as we can."

"Thank you… Highness." Jeremiah finally smiled, and let the darkness take him.

* * *

With a jolt, Shirley awoke. Unfortunately for her, this time it was not to the gentle rays of sunlight spilling from her bedroom window, and she was definitely not on her cosy quilt king-sized bed. It was to the startling and intense chill of ice-cold water on her bare body. Her surroundings were pitch black, due to what felt like a thick blindfold wrapped around her head several times. Instinctively, she started to shiver and jerk away, but the latter action was to no avail. The redhead quickly realized that her wrists were held down by what felt like metallic bands. Her teeth chattering slightly from the cold, she shook her head wildly, sending droplets of water flying in a futile attempt to shake off the blindfold while her memories of recent events returned.

"She's awake, she's awake, at long last!" An exuberant cackle echoed throughout the room, and she cringed. There was something about that voice - high pitched and filled with mirth, which made her insides shrivel up.

"I can see that for myself, Sir Bradley." A second voice rang out. It sounded smoother and deeper than the first, but no less sinister. "Agent Haliburton, remove her blindfold."

"Yes, master." Shirley tensed at Rolo's familiar yet emotionless voice. There was a sound of shuffling feet, followed by the brief yet uncomfortable sensation of the blindfold being pulled and yanked. After a few seconds, the cloth came off and her eyes were instantly greeted by a glaring brightness. Disoriented, Shirley blinked rapidly and shook her head, trying to get used to the sudden light.

"Welcome, Miss Shirley Joseph Fenette." The calm yet unsettling voice said from Shirley's right, causing her to crane her neck in order to catch a glimpse of its source. The sight of it did nothing to reduce her unease. A tall man sat in a red-and-gold cushioned chair, its design akin to a throne. She was unable to capture his facial features, since he had a circular white and gold mask on, with three small spikes sprouting from the top. He wore a set of robe-like long sleeves and trousers of a colour that matched his mask, save a dark purple undershirt. His outfit was complete with a set of highly polished boots and a cape, which was also gold-trimmed and ivory. The entire get-up felt incredibly out of place, especially in the dank and dim room. "I see you are now awake. You must pardon us for your dressing... or rather the lack of it. We had to ensure none of you had any tracking devices on."

 _"He must be the leader. Such a ridiculously grand costume, but he has such a foreboding aura..."_ Shirley mused to herself. She stared at the man, expecting him to start talking. However, he merely gazed back at her without a word. The redhead gathered her courage and asked aloud. "Where am I? Who are you? What is this place?"

"Ah, forgive my manners! I'm known as Infinity to my underlings. That is an alias, of course." The masked man replied, cocking his head at her. "As for where we are… this is the Sword of Akasha's last few hideouts, now serving as its main headquarters."

Shirley's heart started sinking with dread. She was truly in the hands of the terrorist organization that tried to kill her and her fiance for so long. _"... If I'm here... then Lulu must be-!"_ She frantically looked around but failed to spot her fiance.

"Looking for someone?" The owner of the first voice Shirley heard since she regained consciousness spoke. She swivelled her head to spot a vaguely familiar-looking man dressed in flamboyant attire, adorned with badges and medals - maybe he was at the ball in the palace months ago, she thought. He was hunched over and scraping two daggers together in a corner to her left. He was lanky and had hair of two colours - burgundy at its roots and auburn for the rest. It was combed up, except for a strand hanging down across his forehead. He leered at her, his grey eyes flashing with levity, akin to a sadistic predator who had cornered its prey. "He's here as well, you know? Your dear Lulu."

"Where is he?" Shirley demanded, her concern for Lelouch drowning her fear. The man stared at her, his amused expression switching to one of surprise. She met his gaze evenly, refusing to let him intimidate her, although she felt so _small_ in front of him. "I want to see him!"

Luciano burst out laughing immediately. "Incredible! You do have some nerve, saying such words to my face despite your position! I suppose a mere commoner like yourself should not know of me. I'm Sir Luciano Bradley, Knight of Ten of the Round Table, the Homicide Genius! And not to worry, we haven't done a single thing to him. Not yet, that is." His laughter died down, and he glanced over at Infinity, which only confirmed Shirley's thoughts that the robed man was in charge.

"Fret not, miss. What Sir Bradley said is true. We have not touched a single hair on his body yet. That might change soon, though," Infinity said, his voice still silky and serene. Shirley felt a chill run down her spine. "That will depend on how you two behave."

"What... what do you want from us?" Shirley swallowed. Beads of nervous sweat begin appearing on her brow.

Infinity smirked under his mask. "Before we get to that, let's reunite you with your lover. Oh wait, your fiance, I mean." He snapped his fingers, and another light bulb, which was a good twenty metres away from her, came to life. It cast a white fluorescent illumination on another figure, who was hidden away in the darkness all this while.

"Lulu!" Shirley momentarily forgot about the other three people in the room as she finally saw the prince again. He was secured to a steel chair and unclothed, much like herself, and blindfolded. However, he did not seem to be conscious, and he only stirred slightly when she called out his name.

"Oi, wake up. Your girlfriend's waiting." Luciano grabbed a bucket, which was half-filled with ice cold water. The Knight marched over to Lelouch and promptly dumped the bucket's contents over his head. In an instant, the dark-haired adolescent jerked and sputtered. His disoriented movements came to a forceful halt as Luciano yanked at this blindfold, swiftly undoing it and tossing it aside.

Lelouch blinked once, twice, then thrice as his eyes adjusted to the light. He began to frown once he registered his surroundings, his predicament and the occupants of the room. He tried not to let his discomposure show when he sighted his fiancée among them. _"Shirley... Rolo... Luciano... and one unknown. This is bad. Rolo... he's a spy, isn't he? Luciano, the pilot of the Percival is here too_. _This means we've lost the battle and been captured by the enemy. The last guy in the mask must be the person in charge. He must have been unable to find the key to the Damocles, and wants it from me... but if I give it to him, he wouldn't need us alive anymore."_ He groaned audibly. _"The Aries Villa isn't too secluded or far away from Pendragon City. The public should have noticed the attack... Euphemia and the Emperor should be aware of it possibly before the battle even ended. They would be mounting a search and rescue operation now. All I can to do is stall for time and hope for the best."_ With that in mind, he decided to pretend he was still in the process of waking up. "What…? Shirley?"

"Yes, it's me! Are you okay?!"

Lelouch groaned again and shook his head. Now that his blindfold was off, Shirley saw that he sported a black eye and bruising on his forehead. "You must have done quite a number on him during his capture, eh, Haliburton?" Luciano jested.

"I didn't. The others were the ones who weren't very gentle to him," Rolo said, a tad defensively.

"I thought I told you to escape? Jeremiah said he showed you the way to go…" Lelouch muttered, ignoring the conversation between Rolo and Luciano, as water dripped down from his fringe to his face.

"You expected me to leave you behind in that situation?" Shirley asked sadly. "I went back the moment I heard them entering the house."

The eleventh prince sighed heavily with exasperation. "Shirley… I could at least have the assurance that you were safe."

"And I would be plagued with the fact that I ditched you for the rest of my life," Shirley countered.

"Don't you understand? That was nothing you could do anyway! Look at where we are now. If you left me behind, you'll get to live!"

"Silence." Infinity interjected, stopping Shirley from making a retort. Both she and Lelouch ceased their bickering and turned their attention to him. "As much as it is entertaining to hear you two squabble, but unfortunately I do not possess the virtue of patience right now."

"... Yes, time is running out, isn't it… Schneizel?" Lelouch inquired, staring straight at Infinity's mask.

There was a long period of quietness. The only things audible was Shirley's breathing, which had gotten heavier and more frantic. At last, Infinity chuckled. Gloved fingers reached up to his mask and with a hissing sound, he pulled it off, revealing a mature, handsome face in its late-twenties with short light blonde hair. Cold violet eyes met amethyst ones. "What gave it away, younger brother?"

Shirley's eyes widened as she recognized the Second Prince and the Prime Minister of the Britannian Empire. Lelouch took a deep breath before he addressed Schneizel. "I had my suspicions at first, although the number of suspects was too great to be narrowed down to you. However, after awhile, it became apparent that there was friction between the leader and his underlings. Your subordinates were often overeager and bloodthirsty, while you never seemed to support their antics, instead appearing to be cautious and aloof."

"The last thing I needed to confirm my hunch was the latest battle," The Eleventh Prince continued. "Our communications were jammed, and that meant you knew what frequencies both the Emperor and Euphemia were operating on. With that much distrust and wariness among the royals nowadays, it had to be someone either extremely persuasive or appearing to be quite trustworthy… or both. Excluding those whom I trust and those who were eliminated… Odysseus, Cornelia, Euphemia, Carine, Guinevere and myself, there could only be one person left. And that was you."

"Well done. A splendid analysis indeed, although I daresay that something like this would be rather easy for a man of your calibre, wouldn't it?" Schneizel applauded mockingly.

"Honestly? You're right. It wasn't too hard." Lelouch snorted. He tested the strength of his bonds despite knowing it was pointless to free himself from the steel bands. "If only you didn't jam our comms, then I would have to consider our other brothers and sisters as suspects. Such as Clovis. He's always so lavish yet cruel as a viceroy to the people he's supposed to be governing. It wouldn't be too difficult to picture him as the leader, don't you think so?"

"Cut the crap, Lelouch." Schneizel's demeanour turned serious. "I didn't drag you all the way here to hear you yak about our useless siblings."

"Oh? So what's your purpose in getting me here?"

"You know what I want," Schneizel growled. "And you know where it is."

Lelouch's heart sank. Schneizel somehow knew that he had knowledge of the Key of Damocles and its location. He had to buy as much time as possible to make escape more likely. Therefore, he faked a frown, then proceeded to lie. "Don't beat about the bush. I have no idea what you of all people want with my capture. Isn't the Sword of Akasha simply after my life because of my so-called corrupted blood? It baffles me that they would go through the hassle of dragging me all the way to their base in front of their leader when they could have simply executed me hours ago in my home."

Schneizel let out a long, heavy sigh. "Are you sure you want to play it this way, brother? This base is underground and quite well-hidden, I assure you. We have all the time in the world, and no one except all five of us can hear you two scream." The last line was delivered quietly, but the threat was clear. Rolo shifted around slightly and sneaked a glimpse at Shirley, whose seat was right in front of him.

Lelouch swallowed and briefly looked towards his right, locking eyes with Shirley for a split second. Her peridot green eyes were as expressive as ever, and he could read her emotions - fear, anxiety and complete bewilderment. In spite of that, there was still only one option for him. "I'm still clueless about what you're after, Schneizel." He spoke a little louder than he intended. "Why don't you get to the point?"

The Prime Minister glared at his younger half-brother, before snapping his fingers in front of Luciano, who was standing by his right. The Knight of Ten shot his superior a quizzical look, and Schneizel mutely gestured towards the Eleventh Prince. At once, Luciano's eyes lit up, like a small child during Christmas who was told he could finally open his presents. He slowly trudged towards the shackled royal, cracking his knuckles audibly as he did so.

"The Key to the Damocles Superfortress. Does that jog your memory?" Schneizel asked again loudly.

"Not really-" That was all Lelouch managed to say before Luciano lashed out and backhanded him. It was immediately followed up by another punch delivered straight at his midsection, effectively winding him.

"Stop it!" Shirley cried out shrilly. There was a coppery taste in Lelouch's mouth, and he realized he bit his inner cheek when Luciano hit his head. He spat out a mix of saliva and blood on the floor, and the sight of it served to agitate Shirley even more. "Don't hit him! What on earth is this key thing anyway?!"

"Oh, your fiance knows, Miss Fenette." Schneizel's voice rang out, cool and intense. "He's just acting dumb. So long as he continues to feign ignorance, I have no intention to treat him gently."

"... Nonsense." Lelouch wheezed, panting. "I have never heard of such a thing." Schneizel's expression darkened, and he gestured at Luciano to continue. The Knight grinned sadistically and pulled back his fists. Lelouch barely had time to brace himself before a blow connected solidly to his temple. It was followed up by a strike to his nose, causing it to bruise and crack, and a jab to his diaphragm. An explosion of undiluted pain flooded every fibre of his being. Lelouch coughed and heaved, spitting out more blood.

"How long do you plan to keep the pretence up, Lelouch?" Schneizel held up a hand, bringing the beating to an end. "A few days after my faithful spy planted bugs all over your house, I managed to overhear a conversation between you and the Emperor. He entrusted the key to you, Lelouch. Isn't that right, Agent Haliburton?"

"Y-yes, master." Rolo stuttered. He appeared to be in deep thought and started when Schneizel called his name. The leader of the Sword of Akasha's gaze lingered on his servant for a several tense seconds before returning his attention to his captives.

"And ever since that day months ago, Agent Haliburton has been dutifully searching high and low for the key. But he has never managed to find it." Schneizel continued and ticked off his fingers. "I suppose I cannot blame him. A man of your character might have even anticipated the bugs and sent the key away to somewhere else. However, you should at least possess the knowledge of its current location."

"Heh," Lelouch chuckled. "Like I said, I don't know anything. Perhaps you should get your hearing checked... or your state of mind. In fact, today's the first day I've ever heard of this Damocles- argh!" Luciano unsheathed one of his daggers hanging around his belt and promptly slashed at the fingertips of his right hand. The blade sliced open his skin, flesh and blood vessels, causing a small spurt of blood. He winced and contorted his right hand in an effort to manage the pain - the fingertips are rather sensitive, after all.

Before Lelouch could recover, the Knight of the Round drove the same steel knife straight into the middle of his palm. The prince jerked back, inadvertently slamming it his head against the back of the chair, and howled in agony. Tears swam in his eyes and he hung his head, struggling to endure the excruciating wound. He could hear Luciano giggling to himself and Shirley shouting incoherently, but he could not make sense of her words.

"Such pointless obstinacy. All I need you to do is to tell us where the key is, and your suffering would be alleviated." Schneizel drawled. He continued to watch his younger half-brother flinching and groaning, looking for any signs which indicated that he was at last willing to confess. "Hmph. So be it, then. Perhaps I should turn my attention to your lover instead. It may prove to be a lot more... effective."

Luciano immediately turned around to face Shirley, dagger still in hand. His expression could not be any merrier. She visibly gulped, wide-eyed, as he stalked towards her with a small but maniacal grin. Instinctively, she attempted to bolt out of her chair, forgetting that her wrists were clamped down.

"...Wait… a minute…" A weak voice made Luciano pause in his tracks. Lelouch was now glaring at Schneizel. "And just what do you plan to do… with the Damocles?"

"Are you finally admitting that you're the one who is safekeeping the key?" Schneizel replied, arching an eyebrow. He sat up in his throne-like seat in anticipation. Finally, the talks are going somewhere.

"I have not seen the blueprints, Schneizel, but the Emperor told me that it was a massive flying fortress. A technological feat which boasts immense long-range destructive firepower. If it's in the hands of a capable user and army, he could topple nations without much effort… according to the bastard of our father, that is. What exactly are trying to do with it?"

Schneizel allowed himself to smirk momentarily. At least Lelouch had dropped the flimsy pretence. "And why do you care, Lelouch?"

"If I'm going to tell you where the damn key is, I have to know the repercussions of doing so." The younger prince growled. "I might even be more inclined to divulge it."

The Prime Minister of Britannia cocked his head to the side and appeared to deliberate over his options. "I hardly see a point in explaining myself to you. I've decided long ago that while you possess cunning and a strategic mind, you're too idealistic and naïve for me to consider an ally. There's no way you would understand. All I need from you now is the key, brother."

"You're planning something big… aren't you, Schneizel?" Lelouch guessed, trying his best to prolong the conversation. The wracking pains of his ruined right hand made it difficult for him to think and articulate words. "Perhaps… a coup? World domination?"

"Like I said, you don't need to know," Schneizel said with a note of finality and impatience in his voice. "Tell me where the key is, Lelouch. Or it's her turn to taste the consequences of your stubbornness." He nodded towards Shirley.

"…" Lelouch opened his mouth, then closed it. His mind started racing – of course, he would not let his beloved come under harm under any circumstances, but giving Schneizel the location of the Damocles's key was put everyone on earth at the disillusioned Prime Minister's mercy. Whatever Schneizel planned for the world, there was no doubt it would be something which Nunnally, Euphemia, Shirley herself and his friends would oppose. On the other hand, Shirley had already suffered more than enough by choosing to stay at his side.

"Don't." Lelouch started as he barely heard Shirley whisper. They lock gazes, and he could see not merely fear, but trust in her eyes. She still was not sure what the key was, but if her fiancé's description of the Damocles was enough to enlighten her about what Schneizel was planning. Besides, if he was struggling to divulge it even with her wellbeing on the line, then she was certain the would be for the best if they fail to obtain the key. Lelouch gritted his teeth and looked away from Shirley. Deep down, he already knew the right choice that he should take. Unless someone comes to their rescue, they are already dead, whether he chose to hand over the Damocles key or not. It was already predestined the moment the identity of Infinity was revealed to them. However, the thought of allowing his lover to be tortured was perturbing, to say the least.

"Time's up, Lelouch. I gave you a chance, but you blew it." Schneizel let out an exaggerated exhale. "I do pity her, you know? I'd imagine that Miss Fenette here has already gone through so much because of her association with you. And despite that, you wouldn't do anything to shield her from further harm even if you have a say in it."

"Don't blame Lulu for everything that you people have done to me." Shirley retorted. She summoned whatever courage she had left in her to glare at her captors. If this was really going to be the end for them, she refused to allow the likes of them try to guilt-trip Lelouch. "He has done everything he could to protect me from you people. And I would never regret being together with him, no matter what happens."

Both Luciano and Schneizel turned to stare at the redhead, then the former broke out into hysterics. The latter smirked and shook his head. "Well said. Well said, indeed, Miss Fenette. Your bravery and faith should be extolled! But first, it must be put to the test." The last line was delivered with such a sinister undertone that Shirley could not help but shiver. "You may proceed, Sir Bradley. I look forward to see you make her eat her own words."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Luciano stopped laughing and made to move towards Shirley, with a twisted grin on his face.

The lithe teen tried to put on a brave front, denying herself to let any of her trepidation to show outwardly. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Lelouch watching her with an agonized expression. Gratitude filled her – even with the fate of the entire world hanging in the balance, he was still reluctant to let her come under harm. Fearful that he might buckle under the pressure of what was about to happen to her, she turned to address him. "Lulu." She called out, ignoring the Knight encroaching on her. "Please don't give in. Whatever I say or they do later, shut it out. Don't give them what they want. A lot of lives depend on this, right?."

"Oh quit yapping already, you dumb bitch," Luciano scowled. "It seems that you really have a death wish. I'll make sure to go extra hard on you." He glanced up at Rolo, who was still standing rigidly behind Shirley's chair. "You might want to take like, twenty steps away or something, Haliburton. Unless you want to get some blood splatter on that suit, and it sure doesn't look cheap."

Rolo blinked and stared at Luciano for a few seconds. He then swallowed and mumbled half-heartedly. "Sure…" The young assassin shuffled to the far corner of the room without looking back.

"And now..." Luciano rummaged around in his pockets, his fingers fumbling about before grasping a small key and taking it out. "The fun begins." He whistled merrily to himself and leaned forward. Much to everyone's bewilderment, he inserted the object in the locks of the cuffs binding Shirley to the chair. The noble then started freeing her from the metallic bands.

"What on earth are you doing, Sir Bradley?" Schneizel asked sharply, one hand dipping towards the handgun he kept on his belt.

"Don't go shooting me in the back, Your Highness." The Knight of Ten called over his shoulder. "It's just my way of doing things. Besides, she's such a precious prey, and I rather play with her than administer boring, traditional torture." A manic gleam shone in his eyes.

Rolo frowned. He vaguely recalled that Shirley received moderate amounts of training in unarmed combat under General Darlton. "I wouldn't recommend that, Sir Bradley."

"We don't have time to entertain your antics." The Prime Minister added, now fingering the handle of his pistol. However, he did not draw the weapon and continued to watch with narrowed eyes.

"You guys are a bunch of wet blankets," Luciano groused. The band holding Shirley's left wrist clicked open and he turned to work on the remaining one. "Trust me, they cave in quicker this way, Your Highness. Even if you give them the advantage of movement, despair will envelop them whole once they realize they don't have a chance." With another click, the last band opened, leaving Shirley unrestrained. "Now, little girl, go ahead on and ru- argh!"

The redhead did not hesitate in the slightest to seize her opportunity. The moment her binds were free, she decided to act right away. Since Luciano was leaning over her while working on the bonds, he would be able to see her legs and arms and thus could see most attacks coming. Therefore, she headbutted him with all the ferocity she could muster.

Shirley did not even know what prompted her to fight. Even if she somehow became the victor, Schneizel and Rolo could step in anytime and use their firearms to shoot her. Maybe she just refused to give Luciano the satisfaction of having his own way. Perhaps the idea of not going down without a challenge did not sit well with her. Or she was just that fuelled by desperation that she refused to succumb to the feeling of helplessness against her captors.

Luciano instinctively stumbled backwards and clutched his head. Taking the opportunity of his vulnerable position, Shirley lunged forward from the chair and kneed him in the groin. The effect was immediate – he yelped in pain and his stumble became a full-fledged keel, which ended up in him sprawling to the ground.

Lelouch and Rolo were both transfixed by the sight. They watched with awe and surprise as the Knight of Ten quickly tried to get back up, knowing that being on the floor would give him a severe disadvantage. However, Shirley had no intention of allowing her opponent to recover. She aimed a kick at his temple, knocking his head painfully against the stone floor.

 _"What the hell… there's no way I, the Vampire of Britannia, am going to lose a fight to a goddamn civilian girl of all people!_ " Luciano thought furiously. He forced himself to ignore the pain, refusing to let it eat away at his mind. He needed to see what she was trying to do next, then counterattack. If he really let himself get beaten, his already wounded pride would be at stake.

Shirley stepped forward and attempted to stamp on Luciano's solar plexus. However, he was no longer unprepared. He easily saw it coming. As her right foot descended, the lanky male seized her leg by the calf and rolled towards his right, sweeping her left leg off the floor.

The orange-haired teen was caught off-guard and she dropped to the floor with a solid thud. Her adversary quickly regained his footing and charged towards her with his left arm pulled back, poised to strike. Stunned by the sudden turn of events, Shirley barely managed to scramble to her feet and dodged the punch Luciano threw, which was targeted at her head. However, that move proved to be a feint – the moment she sidestepped to the left, he kicked out with his right leg, catching her square in her chest with the sickening sound of cracking bone.

Shirley stumbled back with a hiss, disoriented from the pain. Luciano pressed his advantage, giving her no quarter. Just as she looked up, she received a vicious uppercut, lifting her up in the air. The redhead landed on the floor, her instincts screaming at her to rise. However, her attempt to do so was swiftly aborted when Luciano strode forward stomped on her abdomen, evoking an agonized shriek from her.

"You think," Luciano hissed venomously, his eyes frenzied. Shirley squirmed weakly, struggling against his bodyweight to no avail. "A pathetic little girl like you could have bested me in a fight? I got to admit, you got guts and caught me off-guard, but I'm not a Knight of the Round Table for nothing. And now I'm going to make you pay for that humiliation just now, bitch!" He seized her by the hair and started dragging her towards the wall.

Lelouch watched the brawl unfold in front of him with dismay. The fight had started off well for Shirley with the element of surprise on her side. However, it appears that whatever training she had undergone was insufficient for her to stand against a Knight of the Round. He supposed it would be shocking if she did manage to defeat Luciano, but even if she did, it matters little. Schneizel and Rolo were armed, and the latter was probably well-trained in unarmed combat as well. The logical side of his mind argued that at least her decision to fight bought any potential rescue party some time, whether she acted on that line of thought or not.

In spite of that, the dark-haired royal now was unable to convince himself that Shirley's choice was the best one. There was a glint of cruelty and fury in Luciano's eyes. That was far more disturbing to Lelouch than the Knight's previous glee, and he hated his powerlessness now more than ever. Luciano continued hauling the adolescent towards the wall. Lelouch turned to face his elder half-brother, who was observing him with a smug smirk on his lips. Anger at the vileness and injust of it all rose within him, and he wanted nothing more than to wipe that smile off the blond's face. Nevertheless, he put aside his rage and pride. "Schneizel… that's enough."

His whisper, while barely audible over Shirley's trashing, was heard by Luciano and he halted. Schneizel raised an eyebrow. "Continue, Sir Bradley." The Prime Minister instructed, before returning his gaze to Lelouch and asked innocently. "You said something, Lelouch? I didn't catch that."

There was a sickening crunch as Luciano threw Shirley face-first against the wall, and she fell to the floor in a crumpled heap for the umpteenth time. Pain coursed through her body. Her abdomen was sore and several of her ribs were cracked. It hurt to even breathe. Her lower jaw and nose stung badly. The latter felt out of place – there was a high possibility that it was broken. Her forehead sported a nasty bruise when it smashed into the concrete wall.

Unfortunately for Shirley, her tormentor was far from satisfied with his work. "Come on, where was the bravado? Where was the fight in you just now?!" Luciano roared. He stepped on the lower portion of her right leg, pinning it to the floor. His gloved hands seized her ankle and twisted it savagely, instantly ripping the ligament apart. Tears immediately came to her eyes and she screamed – a shrill and bloodcurdling scream which echoed incessantly around the chamber.

"I said that's enough, Schneizel!" Lelouch cried. There was a note of plea in his voice. "I have never begged anyone for something before, but this shall be my first! Stop hitting her!" The terrorist leader could not help but lean back in surprise and appeasement. Since the many years since he had known the younger prince, he never saw him like this. The eleventh son of Emperor Charles had a reputation for not only being sharp, but very proud as well. It would be considered a miracle to hear him implore a friend, let alone an enemy.

"I don't revel in bloodshed nor do I derive pleasure from abusing the weak, but I do what I must to obtain my desires." Schneizel finally said. "Are you finally going to cooperate, Lelouch?"

"Lu… lu… don't-!" Shirley managed to groan before Luciano kicked her in the torso again. She retched violently, expelling droplets of bright crimson all over the floor.

Lelouch's eyes widened in horror as he witnessed the grisly sight of his fiancé coughing up blood. He clenched his fists, ignoring the stinging sensation as his nails tore his skin and bit into his flesh. The silence seemed to grow heavier as it dragged on.

"I grow impatient," Schneizel spoke smoothly. He leaned forward, bringing both his hands together and resting his chin on them. His intense blue eyes scrutinized his younger brother, who was clearly in a dilemma. "You don't want me to be impatient, don't you, Lelouch?"

Feeling the Prime Minister's gaze upon him, Lelouch looked away and inadvertently ended up staring at Shirley instead. Despite her condition, she continued to dissuade him by shaking her head. The lanky male eyed her mutely in a mix of incredulity and admiration. Even when she was in the midst of a brutal beatdown, she still did not relent in her attempts to convince him not to give in.

"This is taking far too damn long," Luciano growled. He grabbed a fistful of Shirley's hair, dragging her in front of him. The Knight wrapped his arm around her neck and started squeezing - barely enough to slowly but gradually deprive her of oxygen. "If you don't give us the answer we want to hear in a minute, I'm gonna gouge one of her eyes out and shove it down your throat."

Lelouch turned pale. "A minute?" He repeated, aghast. "I can't-"

"Shut up. And if you think I won't do it, you're welcome to try me." The burgundy-haired noble unsheathed one of the knives at his sides. A muffled moan escaped from Shirley as the tip of the dagger glinted dangerously close to her right eye.

Schneizel's complacent grin grew bigger. The tormented look on Lelouch's face combined with his continued silence confirmed that he was still vacillating between his two options. With that in mind, the Second Prince decided to push him a little further. "Lelouch. If her slow, gruesome death fails to convince you, then regrettably, we have to take even further drastic measures. This is far from the worst we can do." Schneizel began stroking his chin in an almost mocking manner. "After all, I could hardly believe it when you returned to Britannia without Nunnally in tow. You two were inseparable as children, and I doubt you would allow her to be separated from you during your exile. Yes... She must still be in Area 11, is she not?

"No, she's not," Lelouch gritted out. Despite that, his appearance only looked more harrowed.

"Shortly after your return to Britannia, Cornelia was dispatched on a mission she deemed secret. The four of you, including Euphemia, were thick as thieves during childhood," Schneizel continued. "If your younger sister is still alive, it's not tough to guess that you requested Cornelia to guard her once you received news of the Sword of Akasha's return. It wouldn't be difficult to arrange a little visit to Area 11. Where could she be, though? Perhaps I would check Ashford Academy first. The Ashfords were so supportive of your mother."

The grinding of Lelouch's teeth was so loud that it was audible to Schneizel, who sat a good five meters away. "It's all logical guesswork, but your reaction tells me I'm right. And while there is no pride or honour in maltreating a cripple, alas, the distasteful means I have to take to achieve my dream."

Lelouch had enough. His limbs were shaking and sweat was dripping from his brow. Macabre images of Nunnally started flashing in his mind, and there was a severe throbbing in his head. His ruined right hand stung badly. Maybe he should just give in. Nunnally and Shirley wouldn't want him to, as it might possibly put the world at Schneizel's mercy. But what has the world done for him? What has the world ever done for them?

"Lulu." Shirley managed to gasp out faintly. Her voice brought Lelouch out of his reverie, and he turned to stare at her. She could see the despair in his eyes through her tear-blurred vision. The redhead wanted to shake her head again, but now that his little sister was brought up, she knew that there was little chance he would continue to refuse. Who was she to tell him to disregard the safety of Nunnally, whom he had taken care of and grown up since she was born?

"Ten seconds more and she'll lose an eye," Luciano cheerfully called out. The dagger descended, now only a couple inches away from Shirley's right eye.

"I just need a little mor-"

"I thought I told you my patience has run out," Schneizel said flatly.

"Five."

"Damn it, I didn't want to do this-" Lelouch bit down hard on his lip.

"Three, two-" The knife was now millimetres away from touching her pupil.

"Alright! You win! I give in!" The dark-haired prince yelled at the top of his lungs in desperation. His shoulders sagged in defeat, and his throat was raw from the screaming. "I've had enough! I'll tell you where the damn thing is! Just stop it already!"

Schneizel and Luciano shared a look of triumph before the former gestured at the latter to let go of Shirley. The Knight glanced at the limp female contemptuously before releasing her, and she slid to the floor with a soft whimper. "Pathetic," Luciano muttered, sheathing his dagger. The sadist within him urged him to inflict more suffering on the now hapless female, but he kept it in check. He only had to wait until Lelouch spill the beans and Schneizel to check whether the key was genuine. After that, he probably would have all the time in the world to satisfy his perverse desires to his heart's content.

"I'm all ears, Lelouch. The blond leaned back. His lips curved into a small and expectant smile. "Speak."

"...It's not in the house. Nor is it in the grounds." Lelouch confessed. His eyes darted around the room, and he felt a pang when they passed over Shirley. There was a small trickle of blood flowing from the corner of her lips. Her nose looked squashed and her right ankle was twisted at an angle which made him nauseous. Now that he was going to spill his guts, all the torture she had undergone had amounted to nothing. However, he was unwilling to see her get brutalized any further. "I entrusted Jeremiah to bury it eight kilometres northwest of the villa."

Schneizel sighed and turned towards Rolo. "Agent Haliburton." The assassin did not respond. He was staring in Lelouch's direction. "Agent Haliburton!" He jumped, and swiftly swivelled around to face his master, who was waving a map and a marker. "Pass this to the Eleventh Prince. And Lelouch, if you would be so kind as to guide him so that he could mark the location on the map."

"Yes, sir," Rolo crossed the room in several long strides and grabbed the map and marker before hurrying over to Lelouch while trying to avoid meeting his eyes.

Lelouch scrutinized the map, which encompassed the Aries Villa at its centre and an area with a radius of ten kilometres. With the bands still in place, he could not lift his hands. Instead, he extended the index finger of his left hand - his right one still smarting painfully from his wound, and Rolo pressed the map against it. "To the east, then a bit to the north," Lelouch muttered. The assassin mutely followed his instructions, and this went on until the prince's finger finally rested on a forested region northwest of his residence almost at the edge of the map. "Here. It's over here. Obviously, you can't zoom in on a physical map. But it's buried in the clearing with two fallen trees."

"Did you hear that, Kanon?" Schneizel suddenly raised his voice.

"I did, Your Highness." A voice blared through the speakers. The said devices were not visible due to the lack of lighting in the room. "My team and I are ready to go once we get the map.

"Good. Make it quick. The Emperor's troops might be keeping a tight watch. If you meet them, tell them you're under my orders to aid in the search of both the Eleventh Prince and enemy forces. Agent Haliburton, pass the map to Kanon," Rolo quickly obeyed and scurried off without a look back.

"And now, we wait." Schneizel showed his prisoners a sickeningly smug grin. "I pray it isn't a fake or a clever trap, Lelouch, for Miss Fenette's sake. She doesn't look too healthy, but I'm sure with her indomitable spirit, she could endure some more punishment."

"Fuck off, Schneizel." Lelouch spat. Luciano's eyes flashed dangerously and he stepped forward, but a raised hand from Schneizel stopped him. The minutes ticked by in silence, which was only broken occasionally by Rolo's return to the chamber and Luciano's bored groans. The minute ticked by, and eventually, it was close to reaching two hours before the speakers crackled back to life at long last.

"Your Highness. We've got the Key of the Damocles."

"Any trouble?"

"None at all, Your Highness. There were a few troops roaming around the area, but none of them spotted me."

"Excellent. Have you run a comparison check with the one we've designed to confirm its authenticity?"

"Yes, Your Highness. It's definitely the real one."

"Well done, Kanon. You've done an impeccable job." The lanky blond's grin could not possibly get any wider. He rose from his seat. Finally, after more than a decade of scheming and nine years of chasing after the key, he obtained the instrument which would allow him to make his dreams into reality. Schneizel glanced at his younger brother. "I suppose I should thank you, Lelouch, for cooperating with us in the end."

Luciano eyed the prisoners with a hungry gleam in his eyes and stepped towards Shirley. However, before he was able to do anything else, Schneizel cleared his throat and glared at the Knight. "I know what you're thinking of, Sir Bradley. But now is not the time. My scouts have already reported that a swarm of troops is already heading towards our direction. While they are slow since they are searching while moving, it wouldn't take them long before they stumble upon this base. If we leave too late, they would notice us as well. We need to leave at once or risk discovery."

"Oh come on, Your Highness. All I ask for is fifteen minutes at most. Maybe only even ten."

"No." The finality in Schneizel's tone was absolute.

Luciano scowled and wanted to protest, but the Prime Minister glared at him with such severity that he decided against it. He glanced sideways at their captives. "How about them, Your Highness? We don't need them anymore."

"Execute them." Schneizel dipped a hand in his pocket, retrieving a handgun. He flipped the weapon so that he held it by its barrel and its handle faced outwards before thrusting it towards Rolo. "Agent Haliburton, you'll do it."

"Me?" Rolo asked blankly.

"You heard right." Schneizel stared down into the pink, unblinking eyes of his longtime servant. He could not detect any signs of unwillingness or insubordination in Rolo despite him questioning his previous order. "Extinguish their lives. This is the last step before your assignment is complete."

The assassin silently reached out, his gloved hands wrapping around the pistol.'s handle. It was small and fairly light compared to most handguns he had used. A weak groan caught his attention, and he looked at its origin. Shirley, upon hearing the Second Prince's words, was now attempting to crawl towards Lelouch. Her accumulated injuries make it more than difficult enough to move quickly. Rolo observed her slowly making her way towards her fiance with an unfathomable mien.

"Kill her _now_ , Agent. Time is not a luxury we currently possess." There was an undercurrent of agitation in Schneizel's voice. Rolo glanced at his master and noted, somewhat uneasily, that both of his hands were in his coat pockets - a place where small weapons can be placed and concealed without its outline being too apparent.

If Schneizel's words registered with Shirley's mind, she ignored them. The battered teen persisted in dragging herself in her fiance's direction, who gazed at her with a wretched and crushed expression on his countenance. Her heart shattered - she had never seen him looking so gutted and tearful before. "It's okay, Lulu., Shirley whispered hoarsely. She reached up and managed to lay a bloodied hand on his right thigh. "You did your best. I could feel you struggling. Thank you for caring about me until the end. No one can ever blame you for this-" Her words were cut off as a sinister, cool sensation of metal rested against the back of her head. Shirley turned her neck ever so slightly and glimpsed Rolo kneeling behind her.

"Rolo..." Lelouch shook his head. He knew it was impossible for his captors to be merciful, but nevertheless, just the very thought of her dying because he selfishly got her involved in his danger-filled life was so unfair that it made him wish that somehow at least her life would be spared. His vision started to blur as tears came to his eyes. How foolish his end was. His will was too weak, and because of that not only he was going to die, but Schneizel was triumphant as well. Even in death, he could not prevent his opponent from becoming the victor. Worst of all, Shirley was going to lose her life along with him. All because he failed to control his emotions on that one fateful dance, many months ago in Ashford Academy.

"My apologies, Shirley. This is how I have lived for the past decade." The brown-haired youth said, his voice devoid of emotion. He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the pistol, its trigger creaking due to the increase in tension. The barrel continued to point towards her skull unerringly. "Perhaps sometime in the next life, we can truly be friends."

Shirley closed her eyes for a brief moment before looking straight up into Lelouch's amethyst orbs. Tears became falling from them, and several landed on her dishevelled hair and cheeks. She could feel the guilt, remorse and misery radiating from him, and wished, albeit foolishly, that his last moments would not so full of self-reproach and negativity. Before the slender female knew it, she was starting to cry too. Shirley smiled sadly and put all her remaining strength into squeezing his thigh. "I love you, Lulu."

There was a collective flinch as a thunderclap filled the dimly lit room, and the silence which followed it was more deafening.

* * *

Author's Note: Yay, another cliffhanger! I guess some of you guys probably wish to wring my neck after ending on a cliffhanger again, especially after such a long hiatus. Sorry about that, but I feel it's the best point for me to stop writing this chapter. Any more content belongs to the next one. Which might be the final one if there's not too much content. I'm not going to exceed 20k words for a chapter ever again...

Another thing I should apologize for should be torture bits, I think. To be frank, it was super hard for me to write them. I get a little squeamish while working on that part. While I don't think it's that bloody or repulsive, but there's something definitely... offputting about describing one of your favourite characters in fiction getting the stuffing beaten out of her. Ouch. Perhaps that's a mark of an amateur writer?

Anyway, let me know what you guys think about this chapter! It's not an easy one for me to write, so reviews would be welcome. Cheers, and till next time.


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